Why Was I Dropped?” — Richarlison Questions De Zerbi’s Liverpool Decision

Tottenham forward Richarlison has questioned manager Roberto De Zerbi’s decision to leave him out of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool, amid continued uncertainty over his future at the club.

According to reports, the Brazilian reacted to a social media post announcing his omission from the squad by simply writing, “Why?” alongside a tearful emoji.

The reaction comes after a turbulent period for Richarlison, following the collapse of proposed transfers to Brazilian club Vasco da Gama and former club Everton.

Tottenham had reportedly reached an agreement with Vasco over a fee for the 29-year-old, but the move fell through after the two sides failed to agree personal terms before Brazil’s transfer window closed.

A proposed £35 million deadline-day return to Everton also collapsed after Richarlison reportedly failed to reach an agreement on personal terms with the Merseyside club.

De Zerbi had previously revealed that he attempted to persuade Richarlison to remain at Tottenham and sign a contract extension, but claimed the forward turned down the proposal.

“At the start of this season, I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay, and he didn’t want to,” De Zerbi said.

The Italian manager added that he could not continue trying to persuade the player and insisted that the dispute was a matter between Richarlison and the club.

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

Richarlison has also been left out of Tottenham’s 25-man Premier League squad as the club remains locked in a dispute with the player over the final months of his contract.

The forward is reportedly seeking a release from his current deal, which expires next summer, although Tottenham have an option to extend the contract by another 12 months.

His absence comes as Spurs struggle for form under De Zerbi. The club remain without a Premier League victory and have failed to score in their opening four league matches, marking the first time in Tottenham’s history that they have gone goalless across their first four games of a league campaign.

Tottenham spent more than £300 million during the summer transfer window in an effort to strengthen De Zerbi’s squad after finishing 17th in the Premier League in each of the previous two seasons.

Richarlison was Tottenham’s leading scorer last season with 12 goals across all competitions and has found the net four times in seven appearances against Liverpool since joining the club.

The Brazilian joined Tottenham from Everton in 2022 after previously playing for Watford and Everton. He has also earned 54 international caps for Brazil.