Richarlison left out of Tottenham Premier League squad after contract decision

Tottenham have left Richarlison out of their 25-man Premier League squad after the forward declined a contract extension and indicated that he wanted to leave the club. The Guardian and Press Association reported that manager Roberto De Zerbi said the decision followed conversations at the start of preseason, when he had been prepared to keep the Brazil international.

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Richarlison was Tottenham's leading scorer in the league last season, but he did not play in last weekend's defeat by Newcastle. According to the report, a possible return to former club Everton was discussed before the 29-year-old rejected that move. Tottenham then added Omar Marmoush from Manchester City, leaving no place for Richarlison in the submitted league squad.

De Zerbi said Richarlison had made his own position clear by declining the proposed extension and repeatedly expressing a desire to depart. The manager described the forward as an important player last season and a good person, but said Tottenham now had to turn their attention to Dominic Solanke and Marmoush as the attacking options in the registered group.

The Guardian reported that Richarlison has trained separately from Tottenham's first team this week. De Zerbi rejected the suggestion that he or the club had pushed the player aside, maintaining that the sequence was driven by Richarlison's decisions. The omission means he is not available for Tottenham's Premier League fixtures under the current squad registration.

Tottenham will have deadline-day loan signing Mykhailo Mudryk available for Saturday's visit to Nottingham Forest. De Zerbi indicated that the Chelsea winger could play up to 30 minutes. Mudryk has not appeared in a competitive match since November 2024 after serving a doping suspension, and he previously worked with De Zerbi at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Savio is also available again for Tottenham this weekend, while James Maddison is expected to miss the Forest match as he continues his recovery from a shoulder fracture, according to the report. Spurs enter the game after consecutive league defeats by Brentford and Newcastle in which they failed to score, making the reshaped attacking group an immediate focus as the season resumes.