Richarlison future at Tottenham uncertain as De Zerbi admits mixed signals

Richarlison’s future at Tottenham Hotspur has been plunged into fresh uncertainty after head coach Roberto De Zerbi revealed the striker has sent mixed signals regarding his intentions in north London. The situation comes to light as the forward enters the final year of his contract.

The dialogue surrounding the Brazil international intensified sharply on Saturday, 1 August 2026. Coming off the bench in the Sydney Super Cup, the player secured a dramatic stoppage-time winner to defeat Chelsea. That decisive intervention marked his second pre-season goal. Yet, despite his heroics on the pitch, De Zerbi admitted he remains entirely in the dark over whether the player will commit his long-term future to the club.

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"I don’t know because I like him as a player and as a guy. He’s unbelievable in terms of attitude and behaviour. But, in the end, we have to respect what he wants to do."

Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham head coach, via 101greatgoals

When asked directly if the forward wants to leave, De Zerbi added that he did not understand well because sometimes the player says he wants to stay and sometimes he wants to leave. The manager noted that discussions would take place and stressed there is no problem, describing him as a lovely guy. The uncertainty unfolds against a backdrop of heavy squad investment. Following consecutive struggles that yielded back-to-back seventeenth-place finishes in the Premier League, Tottenham have orchestrated an ambitious summer rebuild. The club has already committed a club-record £237m sum to new acquisitions. In addition, Richarlison has also drawn specific summer transfer interest from Juventus.

Despite the club pursuing additional attacking reinforcements — with Manchester City’s Savinho and Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo heavily linked — De Zerbi emphasised that finding a reliable replacement would prove exceptionally difficult. The striker finished the previous campaign as Tottenham's top scorer with twelve goals across all competitions, alongside a team-high seventeen direct goal involvements. He joined Spurs from Everton for £60m in 2022.

"For me, he’s still an important player because it’s not easy to find another striker like Richarlison. Richarlison scores goals. He knows the way. With any new striker, we don’t know. He scored 12 goals last season, not because of luck but because he knows how to score."

Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham head coach, via 101greatgoals

De Zerbi also praised the forward's daily work ethic, noting that teammates, the club, and the staff all love him because he works hard seriously every day and cannot be faulted on the pitch.

The wider sport coverage points to a chaotic pre-season fixture in Sydney that extended De Zerbi’s unbeaten start at the helm. Sandro Tonali opened the scoring early on in the seventeenth minute with his first goal for the club after his effort deflected in off Levi Colwill, before Chelsea equalised four minutes later through Estêvão, who headed home Jamie Gittens’ cross. Tottenham were subsequently reduced to ten men following a red card shown to Kevin Danso early in the second half for bringing down João Pedro after losing possession. Chelsea dominated with the extra man, but goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky produced two outstanding saves to keep Spurs in the contest before Jamie Donley’s late effort crashed against the post and Richarlison reacted quickest to slot in the rebound in the ninety-second minute, handing Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso his first defeat since taking charge.