Former England striker Alan Shearer has warned Tottenham Hotspur that Roberto De Zerbi’s decision to leave Richarlison out of the club’s Premier League squad could create a problem that continues to hang over the team.
Tottenham were required to leave one non-homegrown player out of their Premier League squad in order to meet the competition’s registration rules. De Zerbi ultimately chose to omit Richarlison after the Brazilian forward rejected possible moves to Everton and Brazilian club Vasco da Gama during the closing stages of the transfer window.
The situation became more tense when Richarlison responded with the one-word message “why?” on social media after he was left out of Tottenham’s squad for their 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool. Although he cannot feature in the Premier League, he remains eligible to play in domestic cup competitions.
Speaking to Betfair, Shearer claimed there is now little opportunity for Tottenham to change the situation and believes the issue could become increasingly difficult for the club to manage.
“Richarlison isn’t in the squad, and De Zerbi has said he is not going to play, so you can’t reverse it, there is no going back,” Shearer said. “He has made a decision and he will stick with that. What they do now, I haven’t got a clue.
“You have a player not in the squad that you obviously have to continue to pay a salary to, and he’ll be a problem. I don’t think he will sit around and be nice.”
The former striker also suggested that the strained relationship between Richarlison and De Zerbi could make Tottenham’s difficult start to the season even more complicated.
With Spurs struggling for goals and results, Shearer believes the situation involving Richarlison represents another issue the manager could do without.
“When they haven’t got any goals or wins, and then that on top of it, it is just another problem the manager could do without,” he added. “Obviously, he fell out with the manager, and the manager doesn’t like him and vice versa. That is never a healthy situation at any football club.”
Tottenham Under Pressure Ahead of Villa Clash
Tottenham head into Saturday’s meeting with Aston Villa still searching for their first Premier League victory of the season. Spurs have failed to score in each of their opening four league matches, adding further pressure on De Zerbi.
After Tottenham invested more than £320 million in rebuilding the squad over the past year, Shearer believes the club’s hierarchy will now be demanding results.
“Roberto De Zerbi desperately needs a result,” Shearer said. “The Spurs hierarchy will want to see a return on their investment now. When you spend that type of money, you need to get results quickly, and the longer it goes, the more desperate it becomes.
“I’m not seeing anything really positive yet to justify the money spent.”
Tottenham will then face a three-week international break after the Villa fixture, meaning another disappointing result could leave De Zerbi facing even greater scrutiny during the break.
Shearer delivers stark Tottenham warning as De Zerbi’s Richarlison decision backfires
