Richarlison's situation is growing ever more complicated at Tottenham. Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi left the Brazilian out of the Premier League squad, then dealt him a fresh blow by omitting him from the squad travelling to Liverpool in the English League Cup.
De Zerbi made the call at a highly sensitive time for Tottenham, who are enduring a wretched start in front of goal. The team failed to score in their opening four Premier League matches, raising further question marks over the manager's attacking options while one of last season's most prominent scorers keeps being frozen out.
Richarlison ended last season as Tottenham's top scorer with 12 goals and started the team's opening game against Brentford. The picture changed quickly. The Brazilian was asked to find a new club during the summer transfer window.
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Handed a fresh chance to feature in the League Cup, Richarlison still found himself outside De Zerbi's plans. The manager chose not to call him up for the clash with Liverpool, a decision that angered the player and prompted him to air his displeasure publicly on social media.
Once De Zerbi's comments on the exclusion spread, Richarlison interacted with one of the posts carrying the manager's remarks on Instagram, first using a crying emoji in a clear sign of his frustration.
The Brazilian did not stop there. He reshared the post from his own account and added a very brief comment, though it carried a clear meaning, when he wrote: "Why?".
That exchange lays bare the tension around Richarlison's future at Tottenham, especially as he has yet to seal his departure despite several attempts to find him a new club over the summer.
Several clubs were mooted, including Everton and Trabzonspor, along with Vasco da Gama. None of the moves came off, leaving the player at Tottenham in an even more complicated position.
According to the Daily Mail, Richarlison is currently outside De Zerbi's plans despite being available for the League Cup, which makes his exclusion from the clash with Liverpool all the more baffling.
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All this comes with Tottenham crying out for attacking solutions after failing to find the net in their first four league games. The pressure is mounting on De Zerbi, who faces a twofold dilemma: finding a way to score and, at the same time, managing the future of a forward who was the team's top scorer last season.
The relationship between Richarlison and the Italian manager has clearly entered a new phase of tension, with the player's displeasure spilling from behind the scenes into the open through social media. The coming weeks will show whether the two parties can patch things up or whether the Brazilian's exclusion paves the way for the end of his time at Tottenham.