Richarlison's relationship with Tottenham 'completely broken' as January exit looms

Richarlison’s time at Tottenham Hotspur appears to be over in all but name, with transfer insider Fabrizio Romano describing the relationship between the Brazilian striker and the club as “completely broken” — and a January departure looking increasingly likely.

Romano, speaking on his Here We Go podcast, outlined how the situation deteriorated rapidly over the summer. Manager Roberto De Zerbi had approached Richarlison at the start of pre-season and offered him a new contract, expressing a desire to keep him in north London. The striker, however, wanted to leave.

A move back to Everton was lined up in the final days of the transfer window, with Tottenham planning to use the funds to sign Iliman Ndiaye. That chain collapsed when Manchester City swooped for Ndiaye, and a separate offer from Trabzonspor — which would have taken Richarlison to Turkey — was rejected by Spurs late in the window.

“My expectation is absolutely for the parties to part ways as soon as possible, so it could be already in the next months,” Romano said. “I think around January we will see Richarlison leaving Tottenham: the intention of Tottenham is not to integrate Richarlison as part of their project.”

The 29-year-old has not featured for the club this season and, with Tottenham rooted to the bottom of the Premier League after five games without a win and only two goals scored, the situation is an unwanted distraction for De Zerbi’s struggling side.

Spurs paid £60 million for Richarlison in the summer of 2022, pipping Arsenal to Champions League football to secure the deal. His debut season was hampered by inconsistency — he scored just once in the Premier League and was publicly criticised as “selfish” by then-manager Antonio Conte. He has since managed double-digit goal tallies in two of his four top-flight campaigns, but his stock has fallen sharply: Brazil left him out of their preliminary World Cup 2026 squad over the summer, a significant indicator of his standing in the game.

Transfermarkt currently values Richarlison at €25 million — less than half what Tottenham paid for him three years ago. With the January window opening in under three months, a resolution to what Romano called a “crazy situation” is expected sooner rather than later.