Tottenham Ready to Reignite Bitter Rivalry as Liverpool Showdown Looms

Roberto De Zerbi's ongoing conflict with Richarlison has become an unwelcome sideshow for Tottenham Hotspur, who have yet to find the net in the Premier League across four games in the 2026–27 campaign.

The Lilywhites began De Zerbi's first complete season at the helm with high ambitions following a summer transfer window in which they splashed over $423.9 million (£302 million) on 10 new arrivals, headlined by a club-record $133 million (£100 million) acquisition of Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United.

While some adjustment period is to be expected, Spurs' inability to threaten in the attacking third — despite bringing in Omar Marmoush and Sávio from Manchester City — has become a pressing concern for De Zerbi. Not only have Spurs failed to score, but they also sit 19th in the league with just 3.45 expected goals, according to Opta.

They are struggling to create clear-cut chances and squandering the few that do come along, with collective attacking confidence at rock bottom. The lack of a natural finisher, particularly given Dominic Solanke's poor form this year, is taking its toll — which makes De Zerbi's ongoing dispute with Richarlison all the more puzzling.

Richarlison Offers Social Media Response to Latest De Zerbi Jibe

The relationship between De Zerbi and Richarlison has taken a sharp turn for the worse over recent weeks. The Brazilian has not featured for the Tottenham boss since starting at Brentford on the opening weekend of the season, with De Zerbi citing the striker's desire to leave the club as the reason.

"Richarlison made all the decisions on his own," De Zerbi said on Sept. 4, following the Premier League's transfer deadline. "I only want players who are committed and passionate about being here."

Richarlison came close to rejoining Everton late in the summer window, before Spurs turned down approaches from Trabzonspor ahead of the Turkish Süper Lig deadline. A proposed switch to Brazilian side Vasco da Gama also collapsed, and the situation could deteriorate further, with the player reportedly considering legal action to terminate his contract.

De Zerbi omitted him from Spurs' Premier League squad, submitted shortly after the summer window shut, and it appears there is no path back for the Brazilian in north London.

The 29-year-old is eligible for Tuesday night's Carabao Cup third-round clash at Liverpool, but De Zerbi made clear that Richarlison will not feature regardless of his availability. In response to a Fabrizio Romano post covering his manager's remarks, Richarlison posted a simple "Why?" on his Instagram story, paired with a notably downcast emoji.

Although the Brazilian's time at Spurs has largely disappointed since his $81 million (£60 million) move from Everton in the summer of 2022, Richarlison's 11 Premier League goals played a key role in helping the Lilywhites retain their top-flight status last season.

It is a disappointing end to Richarlison's chapter at the club.

De Zerbi's History With Player Fallouts

De Zerbi made his frustrations with one of Spurs' misfiring attackers plain to see in the aftermath of Saturday's goalless stalemate with Everton. He walked onto the pitch to give Mathys Tel some tactical feedback regarding his positioning, which the Frenchman appeared to receive poorly.

The Italian played down the incident, saying after the match that he "loves" Tel and insisting there was "no problem" with their on-field exchange.

While a struggling Spurs squad embraced De Zerbi's intense, hands-on style during the latter stages of last season, it is worth noting that the 47-year-old has never held a single managerial post for more than three years throughout his career. He is a volatile personality, and his time at Marseille exposed some of his more troubling tendencies.

There, he was labelled "a real ass----" toward Canadian international Ismaël Koné by national team boss Jesse Marsch, and a widely circulated clip of De Zerbi dressing down the young midfielder did little to enhance his reputation.

Spurs' current struggles are shining a light on De Zerbi's potential shortcomings in man-management, though the picture is not entirely one-sided. Others have spoken highly of him, most notably Kevin Prince-Boateng, who spent six months under him at Sassuolo and described his former boss as: "Like a real, real best friend, like a father to young players and just the best on the training pitch."

An improvement in results would undoubtedly ease the pressure on De Zerbi, but Spurs are in urgent need of a reliable goalscorer to step up now that Richarlison is no longer part of the equation.