World Cup star blasts 'disrespectful' De Zerbi: 'Forced me to leave'

16 Sept 2026 17:57 BST | 5 min read

Roberto de Zerbi, Tottenham, 2026/27 — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

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As if things couldn't get any worse for Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi, one of his former players has now publicly settled his scores with the Italian.

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Spurs are in crisis mode following a disastrous start to the season. After back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League, the North London giants are once again languishing in that position in the table.

They have yet to win - or score a goal - in league play. If Tottenham fans thought things were improving after back-to-back draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton, Tuesday evening delivered another punishing reminder that this team simply has not kicked into gear yet.

Spurs crashed out of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 loss to Liverpool, and while they didn't look completely hopeless in the game, they once again disappointed. At least they managed to find the back of the net against Premier League-level opposition for the first time this season.

Understandably, given that Spurs spent close to €370 million on new players this summer, De Zerbi is coming under increasing pressure. In fact, some have already seen enough.

De Zerbi slammed again

Earlier this week, former France international Christophe Dugarry went in on De Zerbi, describing him as "delusional" and essentially accusing him of stealing a living at Tottenham.

"He signed for five years, the heist he pulls off, without the balaclava, it’s insane," Dugarry, who followed De Zerbi closely at Marseille, thundered. "And now they pay you every week in England. What he’s doing is magnificent. He’s proven so much in football, he’s incredible.

"I've never understood what this man’s true level is. I’m told he did well at Brighton, Sassuolo and I don’t remember where else. For me, he’s not an absolute benchmark for coaching big clubs, he has had his chance. For now, he’s struggling to seize it."

Tottenham's struggles in front of goal have come under particular scrutiny following De Zerbi's decision to banish Richarlison from the squad. The Brazilian isn't a particularly clinical No.9, but he was Spurs' top scorer last season.

The situation has become increasingly bizarre. Tottenham initially tried to push him back to Everton by agreeing what was essentially a player-plus-cash deal for Iliman Ndiaye.

This transfer, however, collapsed because Richarlison couldn't agree terms with his former club and later took to social media to insist that he won't let others (i.e. Tottenham) make decisions on his future for him.

However, when he wanted to pursue a move to Trabzonspor, who reportedly offered to triple his salary, Tottenham refused to play ball. They couldn't find common ground with the Turkish side, who quickly pivoted to Midtjylland forward Franculino instead.

Spurs, it is said, informed Richarlison that he was not in their plans during the summer window, and they deregistered him from their Premier League squad, yet De Zerbi is acting as if the striker is refusing to play for the club.

When De Zerbi insisted that Richarlison would not feature in any competition this season, the Brazilian responded with "Why?" and a sad emoji on social media. With a transfer to Vasco da Gama having also collapsed, the 29-year-old may now be stuck at Spurs until January.

In this context, fresh comments from former Marseille player Amir Murillo are very interesting. Now at Besiktas, he will face his ex-club in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Panama international, who starred for his country at the World Cup, used his pre-match press conference to settle his scores with De Zerbi, insisting that he was "disrespected" during his time at Marseille and ultimately forced out of the club.

"Everyone saw that I had had a problem with the manager," Murillo said. "It had nothing to do with the club, nor with the team. I think it was simply something personal on the manager’s part and that, in a way, I felt was a lack of respect."

Just a few days before De Zerbi dramatically quit his job at Marseille, Murillo was left with no choice but to move to Turkey. "They practically forced me to leave the club, and that’s how I ended up at Besiktas."