Former England striker warns that leaving the Brazilian out of Tottenham’s Premier League squad creates an unhealthy situation that will linger in the background.
Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer has warned that Roberto De Zerbi has created an avoidable problem at Tottenham Hotspur following his decision to omit Richarlison from the club’s official Premier League squad.
Tottenham were forced to exclude one non-homegrown player to comply with Premier League squad regulations. Head coach De Zerbi opted to leave out the 29-year-old forward after Richarlison turned down potential transfer exits to both Everton and Brazilian side Vasco da Gama during the final weeks of the window. The situation escalated when Richarlison posted a single-word response-“why?”-on social media after being left out of the matchday squad for Tottenham’s 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat against Liverpool, despite remaining eligible for domestic cup competitions.
Speaking to Betfair, Shearer emphasized that the fallout from this decision will fester over the coming months without any easy resolution for the North London club. He said (h/t Football London):
“Richarlison isn’t in the squad, and De Zerbi has said he is not going to play, so you can’t reverse it, there is no going back. He has made a decision and he will stick with that. What they do now, I haven’t got a clue. You have a player not in the squad that you obviously have to continue to pay a salary to, and he’ll be a problem. I don’t think he will sit around and be nice.”
Shearer added that the tense dynamic between player and manager only exacerbates the team’s ongoing struggles on the pitch. “When they haven’t got any goals or wins, and then that on top of it, it is just another problem the manager could do without. Obviously, he fell out with the manager, and the manager doesn’t like him and vice versa. That is never a healthy situation at any football club.”
Mounting Pressure and Goal Drought Ahead of Villa Encounter
Tottenham enter Saturday’s clash against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa winless in their opening four Premier League fixtures, having failed to score a single goal in the competition so far this season. After backing De Zerbi with over £320 million in squad rebuilding over the past year, Shearer believes the Spurs board will expect immediate performance improvements.
“Roberto De Zerbi desperately needs a result,” Shearer noted. “The Spurs hierarchy will want to see a return on their investment now. When you spend that type of money, you need to get results quickly, and the longer it goes, the more desperate it becomes. I’m not seeing anything really positive yet to justify the money spent.”
With an upcoming three-week international break following Saturday’s match, Shearer stressed that failing to secure a win against Villa would leave Tottenham under immense scrutiny during the hiatus.
