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Tottenham: “It is not my problem anymore”, De Zerbi says of Richarlison
Dropped from the squad, Richarlison now trains with the under-21s. On the eve of hosting Coventry, Roberto De Zerbi passed the case to his board while trying to lift the Premier League’s bottom club.
by Lucas Morel · 2 min read
The day before hosting Coventry, Roberto De Zerbi closed the Richarlison file at his press conference. “It is not my problem anymore. You have to ask Vinai and Johan,” the Italian said, passing his striker’s case to Vinai Venkatesham, the chief executive, and Johan Lange, the sporting director.
Sidelined with the youngsters
Richarlison has not played a minute for the first team since the 3-0 defeat at Brentford on the opening day in August. Since then the 29-year-old Brazilian has been removed from Tottenham’s 25-man Premier League squad and trains with the under-21s. A move was pushed through the summer, with Everton and then Vasco da Gama interested, but never happened. His only pitch time in weeks came in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy: a 2-2 draw with Cheltenham Town, penalties lost 7-6.
“As a coach, I have to accept the pressure and take my responsibilities even if it is not my fault because I took no decision in this affair,” he went on, and left a door ajar: “If he wants to talk about me, he knows where to find me. I stay in my office from 8.30am until the evening.” RMC Sport also reports a dig from the Brazilian at his coach on social media; Foot Mercato and ESPN say nothing about it.
The row lands at a club bottom of the Premier League without a win after six matches. De Zerbi is back from Marbella, where he had phones removed from meals to keep the group together, and manages a squad reshaped by a summer of more than £380m spent on ten signings, according to ESPN.
A favourite despite the mess
For the bettor, the Richarlison case does not change tonight’s game: the Brazilian had been out of the first-team picture since August. The substance is elsewhere: Tottenham, bottom on 3 points, host a Coventry side 16th on 6 points who have just put four goals past Newcastle. The market still fancies Spurs: 1.55 at Betano on Monday morning, about a 63 per cent chance of a home win. My full analysis, line-ups and markets included, is in the Tottenham v Coventry preview.