Just over two weeks ago, at the season opener, Richarlison played as a Tottenham Hotspur forward against Brentford, but now he finds himself in an unwelcome and uncertain situation. London Football analyzed how he gradually reached this point, and for both the club and the player, Richarlison's situation is untenable.

The tension was already evident when the team traveled to Sydney for its summer overseas tour. London Football then asked Roberto De Zerbi about the Brazilian player's future and contract status.

"I don't know. As a player and as a person, I admire him. His attitude and professionalism are impeccable. But ultimately, we have to respect his personal wishes. We all know what he wants, but for me, he is still an important player. It's not easy to find another forward like Richarlison; he can score goals and knows how to play," the Italian coach said.

When further questioned about whether the forward had requested to leave, De Zerbi added: "I'm not entirely sure. Sometimes he says he wants to stay, sometimes he says he wants to leave. Either way, we need to communicate. There's no conflict between us. He's a very good person, everyone likes him—teammates, club, and staff alike. He trains very hard every day, and you can't fault him on the pitch."

In the season opener against Brentford, De Zerbi criticized Richarlison's performance, alongside most other players in that match. After that, in the two matches against Charlton and Newcastle United, Richarlison did not receive a single minute of playing time and was even omitted from the squad for the Newcastle match.

The Tottenham Hotspur coach offered this explanation: "Richarlison, I can't say much. He has expressed his desire to leave too many times."

Tottenham Hotspur initially believed they had found a buyer for him and entered into negotiations with Everton, but the deal ultimately fell through, and Richarlison was unhappy with how the club handled the situation.

The player posted on social media: "I have experienced too much in the past few years, and I am determined not to let anyone make decisions for me again. I have encountered countless unpleasant situations, almost all stemming from decisions made by others for me. Pressure, threats, retaliation—none of these scare me, believe me. I have faced situations far worse than this. Whenever I have had the opportunity, I have always made it clear: I will only agree to leave if the transfer is also beneficial to the club. If that cannot be achieved, I will never accept it. Just as when the situation was difficult and the team needed me, I didn't choose to leave but instead stayed and gave my all. Therefore, I hope the club can show me the same respect when handling my situation, as I have always respected Tottenham Hotspur and everyone I have worked with. Do not try to make decisions for me."

"If Tottenham Hotspur and Everton reach an agreement, I will return to my beloved former club. My intention is indeed to return to the place that brought me so much joy, but the negotiations proceeded solely according to the wishes of some people, and that will not happen again. Despite the turmoil, I am still a registered Tottenham Hotspur player and am willing to follow the club's arrangements."

Richarlison ultimately did not move to Everton and has not been utilized by the club. With the transfer windows in England and several European countries closed, De Zerbi decided not to include the Brazilian in this season's Premier League squad list. The 17th and final non-homegrown player spot, which should have been his, was given to Xavi Simons, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will not return until around the New Year.

Currently, Richarlison trains separately from his teammates but still trains at Tottenham Hotspur's first-team facilities, and all parties are searching for solutions.

De Zerbi has made clear that the player himself is responsible for this situation.

"All decisions were made by Richarlison alone. He came to talk to me at the beginning of pre-season and told me that his idea and request was to leave," the 47-year-old coach said. "Then we went to sign other forwards. As I said at the beginning of pre-season, I am only willing to keep players who truly want to stay here, who have a sense of pride and the right passion. All other troublesome issues are not within my remit.

This is the club's responsibility. I haven't made any decisions, so I have nothing to say. At the beginning of the season, the signal Richarlison sent was very clear, and I accept that. I have nothing more to say."

He added: "There is a key thing that the outside world doesn't know. I talked to Richarlison early in pre-season and was willing to keep him, so I asked him if he was willing to renew his contract, but he refused. Richarlison is an excellent player and was very important to the team last season. He is a good person. But when a player clearly shows his intention to leave, I will no longer pressure him to stay. I feel sorry for him, but we have to turn this page. Now we have to work with Solanke and Marmoush."

The current dilemma: where else can Richarlison go?

"If a player repeatedly says he wants to leave, then there must be an offer on the table, otherwise it's all talk," De Zerbi explained. "I think the suitable offer for him came after the transfer window closed. We received an offer before the window closed, but the player himself refused it."

It is rumored that this late offer came from Trabzonspor, but the Turkish transfer window closed last Friday, and the transfer ultimately did not materialize.

What other options remain? The Saudi Pro League has had clubs interested in him in recent years, making it a potential destination. However, some reports claimed the Saudi transfer window closes next month, but the league officially announced the window closed on Sunday evening.

The Portuguese transfer window also closed on September 4, with only a one-week period for youth player transfers, meaning he missed the opportunity to rejoin Benfica and work with Marco Silva again.

The only realistic transfer option remaining is a return to Brazil, where the transfer window closes this Friday. Flamengo has previously expressed interest, and Richarlison's friend and former Tottenham teammate Emerson Royal plays for the Rio club.

Vasco da Gama was the club Richarlison supported as a youth, and the team's fans recently launched a #RicharlisonToVasco petition on social media. Richarlison also has strong ties to Fluminense, where he made his breakthrough before transferring to Watford to play in the Premier League in 2017.

Richarlison can only wait to see if there will be a turnaround in the final days of the Brazilian transfer window. If not, he will be sidelined for the next four months, his career will stagnate, and his international prospects will suffer.

He could run down his existing contract, as Danny Rose did after being left out of the squad, and wait until next January or next summer. However, Tottenham Hotspur holds a renewal option and can choose to extend his contract.

Some media reports suggest the two sides might negotiate a contract termination, similar to how the club handled record signing Ndombele a few years ago. But unlike the Frenchman at that time, there are still clubs interested in this forward today, and a direct termination would cause significant financial losses for the club.

This is a lamentable situation. Although he was plagued by injuries before last season, this player has always given his all for Tottenham Hotspur. The whole situation is a mess for all parties involved.

When the Brazilian transfer window closes this Friday, we will see how much worse the situation deteriorates.

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