Richarlison’s tenure with Tottenham Hotspur is ending on an especially sour note. After failing to secure a transfer away from Spurs in the waning days of the Premier League transfer window and seeing a move to Trabzonspor in Turkey collapse after Spurs rejected two transfer bids, The Athletic now writes that Richy is considering legal action against Tottenham to force the club to nullify his contract. Roberto De Zerbi left Richarlison off of Tottenham’s league registration list, meaning he either
needs to find a way to end his contract, negotiate a sale to Brazil, or train on his own until the transfer window opens in January.
Richarlison joined Spurs from Everton in 2022 for a fee of £50m, a fee that just four years later feels almost quaint, and represents the explosion in transfer fees in the league over the past few seasons. He is in the last year of his contract at Tottenham, though Spurs can extend his contract a further year due to a clause in his contract. There are no signs that Spurs are planning to exercise this option.
Brazilian outlet O Globo is reporting that Vasco da Gama, Richarlison’s childhood club, are interested in signing him, but that Spurs are asking a transfer fee of £20m to sanction the deal, an amount that Vasco is not willing to pay. The Brazilian transfer window is open through Friday of this week (i.e. tomorrow) and unless Richy can negotiate a termination of his contract it’s unlikely he’ll be able to move.
The details of what precisely happened at the end of the Premier League window are a little murky, and I doubt we’ll ever get the full context as to what actually happened to cause the breakdown between the player and the club. Accounts of who is more to blame for the situation vary depending on the report and whether the source is close to the club or the player. What we do know is that Richarlison’s transfer to Everton was somewhat contingent on Iliman Ndiaye coming to Spurs in the other direction, though the deals were considered separate. Reports say Richarlison was open to returning to Everton but ultimately rejected the move after Everton didn’t satisfactorily meet his wage demands. Everything beyond that is open to interpretation.
The Athletic report states that cancelling a players’ contract under the Premier League’s “Just Cause” rule, described as “any circumstance in which a party can no longer reasonably and in good faith be expected to continue a contractual relationship.” Whether that applies to Richarlison in this case remains to be seen, and is likely why the player is considering legal action. The Athletic states that should Richy be successful in compelling Spurs to cancel his contract, he could sign with Vasco on a short term contract until January, and renegotiate a more permanent deal there (or elsewhere) when the midseason window opens in January.
If Richarlison stays at Spurs, he is eligible to play in U21/Premier League 2 matches, and cup competitions, though it is unlikely De Zerbi would select him for domestic cups.
