Richarlison takes bold step to force exit after Tottenham demotion as terms agreed
Richarlison has reportedly asked FIFA to step in to grant him a Tottenham exit after the striker was excluded from their Premier League squad for this season.
The Brazilian striker was expected to leave the club in the summer and came close to joining former club Everton as part of a deal that would have seen Iliman Ndiaye move to Spurs.
Ndiaye ended up at Manchester City while Richarlison failed to agree terms with the Toffees, and interest from Turkish side Trabzonspor also came to nothing.
Asked about his exclusion from Tottenham’s 25-man squad and his demotion to train with the Under-21s, manager Roberto De Zerbi insisted last week that it was not his call.
“It was not my decision. It is the normal decision,” said De Zerbi.
“I think Richarlison, he decided everything alone. He spoke with me at the beginning of pre-season. He told me his idea, his desire was to leave.
“In the end, we went to bring another striker, and like I said at the start of pre-season, I want to keep only the players who want to stay with pride and the right passion to stay here. Then, for other problems, it’s not my business. It’s the job of the club.
“I can’t say nothing, because I didn’t decide anything. The message of Richarlison from the beginning of pre-season has been very clear, and I accepted that.”
Now Richarlison has reportedly agreed terms with Vasco da Gama, who made the striker their top target when it became clear he wasn’t part of Spurs’ plans this term.
The Brazilian side don’t have the means to sign him on a permanent deal and a loan isn’t possible as Tottenham can’t sanction another international loan because they have reached FIFA’s limit.
Pape Matar Sarr and Guglielmo Vicario (Juventus), Radu Dragusin (Fiorentina), Souza (Porto), Kota Takai (Sint-Truiden) and Min-hyeok Yang (Westerlo) have effectively blocked his exit.
Even if Vasco could stump up the cash for his transfer, time is very much against them with the Brazilian transfer window closing on Friday.
Richarlison asks FIFA to step in
And so, Richarlison has taken matters into his own hands, according to Brazilian journalist Raisa Simplico, who’s revealed on X that the 29-year-old has asked FIFA to step in to allow him to terminate his contract.
She wrote: ‘I just spoke with a member of Richarlison’s staff who confirmed to me that the player notified Tottenham about filing a request for unilateral termination with FIFA.
‘As I brought to you all yesterday, the English club demoted the player to play with the under-21s, in addition to not registering him in the Premier League. The case is similar to that of Renan Lodi, who left Al Hilal in this way and signed with Atlético-MG.’
