Roberto De Zerbi has rejected suggestions that Tottenham drove Richarlison towards the exit, insisting the Brazilian forward made his wish to leave clear at the start of pre-season.
The dispute has intensified after Richarlison posted a strongly worded statement on Instagram, saying he would no longer allow other people to determine his future. De Zerbi responded before Tottenham’s match against Nottingham Forest by distancing himself from the club’s transfer negotiations.
“I think Richarlison he decided everything alone,” the Tottenham head coach said. “He spoke with me at the beginning of the pre-season and told me his idea and desire was to leave.”
De Zerbi added that he wanted to retain only players who were committed to the club, saying Tottenham had subsequently brought in another striker. He said any wider issues surrounding Richarlison’s position were the responsibility of the club rather than the manager.
“For everything and other problems, it is not my business and not my job,” De Zerbi said. “It is the responsibility of the club. I can’t say nothing because I didn’t decide anything.”
Richarlison says he will decide his own future
Richarlison, 29, used social media earlier in the week to make clear his frustration with the way his situation had developed.
“After everything I’ve been through in the last few years, I’ve decided that NEVER AGAIN will anyone decide my future for me,” he wrote.
The former Everton forward also said he had endured pressure, threats and retaliation, but insisted that any transfer should be beneficial to Tottenham as well as himself.
“I’ve always made it clear, at every opportunity, that any move of mine to another place would also have to be good for the club,” Richarlison said. “So, I hope they treat my situation with the same respect that I’ve always had for the Spurs and for all the people who worked with me during this period. Just don’t try to decide for me.”
De Zerbi had already said after Tottenham’s defeat by Newcastle that Richarlison had asked to leave “too many times”. The manager confirmed that the forward was omitted from the club’s 25-man Premier League squad after Tottenham’s domestic transfer window closed.
Richarlison was linked with a return to Everton, but that move failed to materialise. Interest from Trabzonspor then emerged, with the Turkish club reportedly discussing a deal after the English window had shut.
However, De Zerbi said he was unsure whether a fresh offer had been made in Turkey and indicated that Richarlison had rejected an earlier proposal.
“I don’t know if there is an offer from Turkey,” he said. “I know there was an offer before the end of the English transfer window close, but he didn’t accept. For me nothing change.”
Richarlison, who was Tottenham’s leading Premier League scorer last season with 11 goals, has one year remaining on his contract, with the club holding an option to extend it for a further season.
