Richarlison fires back at Roberto De Zerbi in Instagram post as Spurs drama heats up even more
Everton legend Duncan Ferguson has spoken out against Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi for leaving Richarlison out of the first team, and the Brazilian striker has replied to Ferguson’s comments on Instagram.
Richarlison hasn’t been included in Tottenham’s Premier League squad this season and has only played for the club’s U21 team so far. The 29-year-old nearly left Spurs during the transfer window, with a return to Everton almost happening, but the move fell through and no other deals came together.
Recently, Richarlison played for Tottenham’s U21s in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy, where he was praised for his great attitude. He even took photos and signed autographs after scoring in a 2-2 draw against Cheltenham Town and then scored in the penalty shootout.
Since his last first-team appearance back in August, many people, including Duncan Ferguson, have criticized De Zerbi for how he’s handled Richarlison. Ferguson, who worked with the player when he was interim boss at Everton, shared his thoughts on an Overlap Daily show.
“I don’t know what the manager at Tottenham’s done,” Ferguson said. “Maybe they had a big falling out, which wouldn’t surprise me knowing Richy. But you’ve got to support him and help him get back in. You don’t leave a player out unless something serious happened. Richarlison is a good player, and Tottenham aren’t that amazing right now.”
Ferguson added that he enjoyed working with Richarlison and was happy to see the striker had his support. Richarlison responded on Instagram, thanking Ferguson and agreeing with him by writing, “Thanks @duncan9ferguson, you are right.”
The tension between Richarlison and De Zerbi began in early August during their Sydney tour. De Zerbi said he wasn’t sure if Richarlison would stay at the club because the striker sometimes talked about leaving.
“I don’t know,” De Zerbi said when asked about Richarlison’s future. “Sometimes he says he wants to stay, sometimes he wants to leave. We need to talk. There isn’t a problem. He’s a lovely guy.”
Richarlison made it clear he wants to move on, but instead of playing him, De Zerbi left him out of both the Premier League and Carabao Cup squads. The signing of new players Savio and Omar Marmoush, plus the return of striker Dominic Solanke, made that decision easier.
In the summer, Richarlison almost joined his childhood club Vasco da Gama, but the deal didn’t go through because Tottenham had reached their loan limit for international players. Another possible move to Turkish club Trabzonspor also fell through because they ran out of foreign player slots.
De Zerbi hasn’t regretted leaving Richarlison out of the squad, so the striker will keep playing with the U21s until the January transfer window. That will likely be Tottenham’s last chance to sell him before his contract ends in June 2027.