"Richarlison Will NOT Play for Tottenham Again" – Roberto De Zerbi Confirms Forward’s Latest Snub

Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed Richarlison will not be included in Tottenham's squad for Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie at Liverpool, keeping the forward out in the cold despite his strong scoring record against the Reds.

Richarlison was already left off Spurs' 25-man Premier League squad list earlier this month after being told he is not part of the club's first-team plans. He failed to leave the club before the deadline, though, which technically makes him eligible to play in cup competitions. That has not changed De Zerbi's mind.

Richarlison has scored four goals in seven appearances against Liverpool for Tottenham, a record that would normally make him an appealing option for a cup tie, especially with Spurs yet to score in the league this season. But the striker, who recently saw a move to Vasco da Gama collapse and has blamed Tottenham for the breakdown, remains out of favour.

"Richarlison, you already know everything and nothing change for Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same," De Zerbi said. The Tottenham boss said he does not want to get further involved in the situation publicly.

"I stay in the middle and I can't say nothing more because it is not my job," De Zerbi said. "I can answer about the result and the players in the squad, the offensive phase, the defensive phase, but not for other things."

De Zerbi explained that he had tried to keep Richarlison at the club earlier in the season.

"What I have done at the beginning of this season has been to speak with him and to propose an extension of the contract," he said. "If he said, 'no thank you,' I finished my job."

He added that he sees the issue as one between the player and the club rather than something he needs to resolve himself.

"I said last press conference. I know what happened in the last 45 days. It's not right if I explained. It's not my behaviour. The relationship, the problem is between the player and the club," De Zerbi said. "I stay within the club. It's coach and club together. At the start of this season I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay and he didn't want to. I can't go every day to pray for him to stay."

It is the latest twist in a messy few months for Richarlison at Tottenham. He started the season in the league opener at Brentford before being told he could leave, only for a move to Everton to fall through and interest from Trabzonspor to go nowhere. After his proposed switch to boyhood club Vasco da Gama also collapsed on Friday due to a failure to agree personal terms, Richarlison was in the stands for Spurs' goalless draw with Everton at the weekend, but he remains on the outside looking in.

De Zerbi will also be without Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali for the trip to Anfield. Asked about the possibility of rotating his squad after the draw at Everton, De Zerbi suggested changes would be limited rather than wholesale.

"No, the other players, I think Lucas Bergvall is not 'other player', Mathys Tel also and then we have to analyse the other players," he said. "Maybe the players who didn't play enough but I already said I am lucky because for centre back for example we have JP van Hecke and Micky van de Ven, two top players, but Marcos Senesi, Ben Davies, Tosin Adarabioyo are not less than Van de Ven and Van Hecke."

De Zerbi made clear he has ambitions in the cup competitions this season. "I would like to go far in the Carabao and FA Cup," he said.