Richarlison posts training videos as Tottenham slump to fifth match without a win

Richarlison posted two training videos on Instagram on Saturday, just hours after Tottenham were beaten 3-2 by Aston Villa at home, extending their winless start to five Premier League matches and leaving them with only two points.

The Brazilian striker, who has been excluded from Spurs’ 25-man Premier League squad this season, captioned the first clip — showing him working in training — with “The focus remains.” A second video of sprint work carried the note “35.4km/h - I broke my record.”

Richarlison’s public posts arrive amid a well-documented standoff with the club. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi confirmed at a press conference that the forward’s situation is unchanged after Richarlison made clear during the summer window that he wanted to leave north London. A proposed move to Brazilian club Vasco Da Gama failed to materialise before the transfer deadline, and Richarlison subsequently published a lengthy statement on social media expressing his desire to return to Brazil.

De Zerbi has been candid about the breakdown, revealing he attempted to convince the striker to stay and even offered a contract extension. “At the start of this season I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay and he didn’t want to,” the manager said. “I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay.”

On the pitch, Spurs’ afternoon against Villa was damaging. Aston Villa, managed by Unai Emery, led 3-0 before Conor Gallagher pulled one back in the 86th minute and Jan Paul van Hecke added a stoppage-time consolation, but the result was never seriously in doubt. The defeat leaves Tottenham heading into the international break without a Premier League victory, with pressure mounting on De Zerbi’s side.

Richarlison also did not feature in Tottenham’s Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool earlier in the season, underlining that his exclusion spans all competitions. With the transfer window closed and no resolution in sight, both player and club appear locked in an uncomfortable stalemate for the foreseeable future.