Hours after Tottenham Hotspur's defeat to Aston Villa, Spurs forward Richarlison posted on social media, seemingly expressing his dissatisfaction.

Image source: Richarlison's social media

Richarlison had planned to leave North London this summer, but the transfer ultimately fell through, and he has since been excluded from Tottenham's first-team squad.

On Saturday, this prolonged saga reached a new chapter when Richarlison posted training videos on social media hours after Tottenham's 2-3 loss to Villa. The caption for the first video read: "Still focused"; the second showed him doing sprint training, with the caption: "35.4km/h - I broke my own record."

Image source: Richarlison's social media

Since the opening Premier League match against Brentford, Richarlison has not been included in any Premier League matchday squad. Earlier this week, he also failed to make De Zerbi's squad for the Carabao Cup third-round away match against Liverpool. Given Tottenham's current attacking struggles this season, his absence has drawn significant attention. In Saturday's match against Villa, Tottenham conceded three goals but scored only twice late in the game, ultimately losing 2-3.

On Tuesday, Richarlison retweeted a post about his exclusion from the squad with the caption "Why?" and a sweating emoji, indicating his frustration.

However, manager De Zerbi has been firm regarding Richarlison's absence, stating on Monday: "At the beginning of the season, I spoke with him many times to try and convince him to stay, but he didn't want to. I can't beg him to stay every day. At the start of the season, I did my duty: I talked to him and even offered a contract extension. Since he said 'no, thank you,' my job is done."

"I know what happened in the last 45 days, but I cannot explain it; it's not my style. This is a matter between the player and the club, and that's where the conflict lies."

Additionally, on transfer deadline day, Richarlison had an opportunity to return to Everton for £35 million, but the deal fell through due to an inability to agree on personal terms with the club.

Reportedly, he has been excluded from Tottenham's squad due to a failure to agree on terms for the remaining nine months of his contract.

It is understood that Richarlison, who was Tottenham's top scorer last season with 11 Premier League goals, currently remains in North London, training with De Zerbi's team but not participating in tactical drills.

In 2022, Richarlison joined Tottenham from Everton in a £60 million transfer.

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