De Zerbi confirms Richarlison will not feature in Carabao Cup tie at Liverpool amid Spurs dispute

Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed Richarlison will play no part in Tottenham’s Carabao Cup tie at Liverpool on Tuesday, despite the Brazilian being eligible for domestic cup competition after missing out on Spurs’ 25-man Premier League squad.

Richarlison was told he was not in the club’s plans earlier this month, but a move away has so far failed to materialise. He rejected a switch to boyhood club Vasco da Gama on Friday, and a proposed return to Everton also collapsed, while interest from Trabzonspor came to nothing. The forward attended Spurs’ 0-0 draw against Everton at the weekend but remained on the sidelines.

“Richarlison, you already know everything and nothing change for Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same,” De Zerbi told reporters. “I stay in the middle and I can’t say nothing more because it is not my job.”

The Spurs head coach revealed he had tried to convince Richarlison to stay at the start of the season, even offering a contract extension, but said the player declined. “I said last press conference. I know what happened in the last 45 days. It’s not right if I explained. The relationship, the problem is between the player and the club,” De Zerbi said. “I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay.”

The situation is a frustrating one for all parties. Richarlison, who has scored four goals in seven appearances against Liverpool for Spurs, was reportedly exploring whether the final nine months of his contract could be terminated. He started the opening league fixture against Brentford before being informed he could seek a transfer.

De Zerbi will also travel to Anfield without Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali. After drawing 0-0 at Everton, the Italian coach suggested he would rotate his squad but stopped short of promising wholesale changes, pointing to the depth available to him at centre-back — with JP van Hecke, Micky van de Ven, Marcos Senesi, Ben Davies and Tosin Adarabioyo all available — and highlighting Lucas Bergvall and Mathys Tel as players capable of stepping up.

“I would like to go far in the Carabao and FA Cup,” De Zerbi added, underlining his ambitions in both domestic knockout competitions despite Tottenham’s difficult start to the Premier League season.