Sackable offence? Careless De Zerbi comment could cost Tottenham €40m

18 Sept 2026 20:03 BST | 6 min read

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

Tom Weber | Writer

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Tottenham are in trouble on and, potentially, off the pitch, and Roberto De Zerbi might be to blame for both.

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The North London giants went into the season with plenty of optimism. De Zerbi appeared to be the club's saviour in more ways than one after quite literally saving them from relegation last season.

With a full pre-season under his belt and armed with €370 million worth of new talent, big things were expected of the Italian and Spurs this season. So far, however, he has failed to deliver.

Tottenham are winless - and goalless - through four Premier League games, and they once again find themselves in the uncomfortably familiar 17th spot in the table. There has been some progress in performances, but it has been minimal, to say the least.

Understandably, then, De Zerbi is facing the music right now. The 47-year-old is under growing pressure, and Spurs are competing with Man Utd for top spot in the Premier League's crisis club ranking. It's Groundhog Day.

Richarlison exiled

Earlier this week, De Zerbi received a broadside from his former player Amir Murillo, whom he allegedly forced out of Marseille in January. The Panama international ended up joining Besiktas, and of course, he scored against his ex-club in the Europa League on Thursday.

"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."

This is eerily similar to what appears to be happening with Richarlison at Spurs right now. The Brazil international has not featured under De Zerbi since the opening day of the Premier League season.

The reason is a dispute over the striker's future. In the summer, Tottenham attempted to push Richarlison back to his old club, Everton, in a player-plus-cash deal for Iliman Ndiaye. However, this swap collapsed because the 29-year-old couldn't agree terms with the Toffees.

Richarlison later took to social media to insist that he would no longer let others decide his future for him. This was a clear shot at Tottenham for trying to force him out of the club.

Yet bizarrely, when Richarlison actually found a club he was ready to join, the roles were reversed, and it was Spurs who ruined the transfer. Trabzonspor were ready to triple his salary, but they couldn't reach a club-to-club agreement on a fee.

A last-minute move to Vasco da Gama also collapsed, leaving Richarlison stuck at Spurs until January. Or at least so it seems. Last week, reports emerged that there could yet be a way out for the striker.

Richarlison had reportedly petitioned FIFA to investigate a possible contract termination because Tottenham are said to be refusing to negotiate a settlement for his exit. They feel they can still get a significant fee for the striker. After all, Everton offered around €40 million for him.

If backed by FIFA, the Brazilian could unilaterally terminate his contract with just cause. And worryingly for Tottenham, De Zerbi has given Richarlison ammunition in support of his argument.

De Zerbi comments could backfire

When asked about the 29-year-old, the Spurs boss made it abundantly clear that there was no chance for rapprochement. Having been de-registered from the Premier League, De Zerbi bluntly said that Richarlison will not play for him this season.

The Italian has insinuated that Richarlison is to blame for this situation, but Spurs will have to prove this if push comes to shove. The striker has essentially been exiled, and this is no longer permitted under FIFA rules.

🚨 Richarlison has posted this on his Instagram Story following Roberto De Zerbi confirming he will NOT feature for #THFC tomorrow night, despite being eligible to play. 😳❌ pic.twitter.com/xxGWARmhWO
— Hotspur Lane (@HotspurLane) September 14, 2026

Ahead of the summer, FIFA and FIFPro reached an agreement that prevents clubs from creating "Bomb Squads" of unwanted players. Teams are no longer able to deny players the chance to properly exercise their profession by not allowing them to train or play.

This came in the wake of FIFA announcing that it had settled its legal dispute with former Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra, who had argued that contemporary transfer regulations restricted freedom of movement and breached labour laws.

Although Diarra seemingly did not win the case, with FIFA stating that it would not have to pay the compensation he demanded, this court battle did previously compel the governing body to hastily amend its rules and give players more agency.

On the basis of the new rules, Lucas Ribeiro successfully argued in the summer of 2025 that Mamelodi Sundowns were impeding his career after they had turned down an above-market-value offer from Qatar SC. He won the case, was able to terminate his contract and moved to Spain.

In a similar vein, Renan Lodi successfully pleaded last summer that Al-Hilal could not prevent him from doing his job after they refused to register him for their Saudi Pro League squad. He tore up his deal and returned to his native Brazil after a period of free agency.

According to Brazilian outlet O Estado de S. Paulo, as cited by Sport Witness, Richarlison could have grounds to do the same, particularly after De Zerbi said that he won't play.

Sports lawyer Bernardo Marchesini said: "A complex but possible situation would be to use statements such as those made by De Zerbi to seek a termination before FIFA on the grounds of fault by the club. That would remove the player’s obligation to pay the contractual compensation."

On the flip side, however, if Richarlison were to unilaterally terminate his deal without ample proof that Tottenham were impeding his career, he would then be liable to pay compensation. It will be fascinating to see how this thorny issue is resolved.