Richarlison’s increasingly difficult situation at Tottenham Hotspur has taken another turn after the Brazil international publicly addressed the collapse of his proposed move to Vasco da Gama.
The 29-year-old said he had been close to joining the Brazilian club on a short-term deal and claimed the move could not be completed because Tottenham had already reached the permitted number of international loans.
That is Richarlison’s version of events. It is important not to present it as the only established explanation, because separate reports have suggested Tottenham and Vasco discussed a permanent transfer and that personal terms also became an obstacle. What is beyond dispute is that no deal was completed before the Brazilian window closed and Richarlison remains contracted to Spurs.
The situation leaves both player and club in an uncomfortable position. Richarlison has been omitted from Tottenham’s registered 25-man Premier League squad, while head coach Roberto De Zerbi has publicly confirmed that the forward told him during pre-season that he wanted to leave. Tottenham’s official squad submission does not include Richarlison.
For supporters following the club throughout the campaign, SoccerMatchToday’s Tottenham team page provides fixtures, results and available squad information, while the wider competition can be followed through the Premier League hub.
Richarlison Says He Was Close to Joining Vasco da Gama
The latest development came after Richarlison posted a video on social media explaining his understanding of the failed transfer.
He said other opportunities had been presented to him but that his preference was a temporary move to Vasco lasting until December. He also described playing for the Brazilian club as a personal and family ambition.
According to Richarlison, Tottenham’s existing overseas loan commitments ultimately prevented that particular structure from being completed. Reports carrying his comments say he believed the loan limit, rather than his salary demands, was the decisive obstacle.
That explanation matters because earlier reports had painted a different picture.
The Independent, citing Press Association information, reported that the proposed Vasco move had fallen through and that Richarlison was expected to remain with Tottenham until at least January. Other reporting suggested difficulties over the terms of a permanent move.
This is therefore one of those transfer stories where the distinction between confirmed facts and competing accounts is essential.
Richarlison wanted out.
Vasco wanted him.
Negotiations took place.
The transfer did not happen.
Exactly why the final agreement failed remains disputed.
Reports Differ on Why the Vasco Transfer Collapsed
One version is the one supplied publicly by Richarlison: he wanted a loan until the end of the Brazilian season, but Tottenham could no longer sanction that form of international move.
Brazilian reporting had already indicated that Vasco’s preferred structure was a temporary deal and that Tottenham’s overseas loan situation was problematic.
A different version emerged through English reporting.
The Times reported that Tottenham accepted an offer worth around £20 million from Vasco but that Richarlison did not agree to the personal terms attached to the move.
The Independent and Standard-linked reporting similarly said the deal ultimately failed to reach completion, with personal terms cited as part of the problem.
Those accounts cannot all be treated as identical.
It is possible that several structures were discussed during negotiations, including both loan and permanent possibilities, and that different stages produced different obstacles.
Without a detailed joint statement from Tottenham and Vasco, it would be irresponsible to state categorically that one single factor caused the transfer to fail.
What Tottenham Have Officially Confirmed
Some aspects of the situation are much clearer.
Tottenham officially submitted their 2026/27 Premier League squad on September 3, and Richarlison was not among the registered senior players.
That is significant because only registered senior players can represent the club in Premier League matches during the relevant registration period, apart from eligible Under-21 players.
Richarlison is 29 and therefore cannot use the Under-21 exemption.
The contrast with August is striking.
When Tottenham published their squad numbers before the season, Richarlison retained the No. 9 shirt and remained listed among the first-team players.
His situation subsequently changed as transfer discussions accelerated.
That progression helps explain why his future has become such a prominent issue despite him remaining contractually attached to the club.
De Zerbi Says Richarlison Asked to Leave
Roberto De Zerbi has been unusually direct about how the situation developed.
Speaking before Tottenham’s match at Nottingham Forest, the Spurs head coach said Richarlison had told him at the beginning of pre-season that his preference was to leave the club.
De Zerbi explained that Tottenham subsequently brought in another striker and reiterated his broader position that he wants to work with players who genuinely want to remain at Spurs.
When asked why Richarlison was not in the Premier League squad, De Zerbi rejected the suggestion that he alone had forced the player out.
His explanation was effectively that once Richarlison had communicated his desire to leave, Tottenham planned the squad accordingly.
That is an important part of the context.
Richarlison’s omission did not appear suddenly after the Vasco negotiations.
According to De Zerbi, the player’s wish to leave had been clear much earlier in the summer.
Tottenham Reshaped Their Attack Without Him
Tottenham’s recruitment also shows that the club prepared for a future in which Richarlison was no longer central to the first-team plan.
Their registered Premier League squad contains Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush, alongside several players capable of operating across attacking positions.
Once Richarlison told the coaching staff he wanted to leave, keeping him as a guaranteed senior option became increasingly difficult from a squad-planning perspective.
Clubs cannot indefinitely wait for transfer situations to resolve.
They need to register players, allocate wages, plan tactical roles and ensure there is sufficient cover before the window closes.
That does not automatically mean Tottenham handled every aspect of the saga perfectly.
It does explain why the club moved forward with alternative attackers while Richarlison explored an exit.
Everton Return Also Failed to Materialise
Vasco was not Richarlison’s only potential destination.
A return to Everton, where he enjoyed four productive seasons before moving to Tottenham, was heavily discussed during the summer.
No agreement was completed before the English transfer deadline.
Press Association reporting subsequently identified the failed Everton return as one of the events that left Richarlison searching for another route out of north London.
De Zerbi also acknowledged that there had been an offer before the English window closed which Richarlison did not accept, although he did not publicly identify the club during that press conference.
After England’s deadline passed, the number of realistic markets still available naturally became smaller.
Vasco then emerged as perhaps the most attractive option because of Richarlison’s personal connection to the club and his desire to return to Brazil.
Trabzonspor Interest Did Not Produce a Move Either
There was another possible escape route.
Richarlison was linked with Trabzonspor after the Premier League transfer window had closed, with reports suggesting talks over a potential move to Turkey.
Sky Sports’ Paper Talk reported that personal terms had been agreed with Trabzonspor at one stage, but no completed transfer followed.
By the time the Vasco opportunity became serious, Richarlison had therefore already been involved in several possible moves without leaving Tottenham.
That history matters.
The Vasco collapse was not an isolated transfer failure.
It became the latest development in a summer during which player and club were clearly attempting to separate but repeatedly failed to complete the process.
Richarlison Remains Under Contract Until 2027
Tottenham still hold Richarlison’s registration.
When Spurs signed him from Everton in July 2022, the club officially announced a contract running until 2027.
That means this is the final season of his original five-year agreement unless circumstances change.
Recent reports have claimed that Richarlison and his representatives have explored whether there is a legal route to ending the contract early.
Those claims remain reported rather than officially confirmed by Tottenham or FIFA, so they should be treated carefully.
Contract termination in professional football is also considerably more complicated than simply asking to leave.
Until a termination, transfer or mutually agreed release is completed, Richarlison remains a Tottenham player.
Richarlison’s Tottenham Record Is Better Than the Current Dispute Suggests
The deterioration in the relationship should not erase what Richarlison has contributed on the pitch.
Tottenham’s official player profile records 43 appearances and 12 goals in all competitions during 2025/26, including 11 Premier League goals.
He also played an important role in Spurs’ 2025 Europa League-winning campaign, returning from injury and contributing during the knockout stages.
Across his Tottenham career, availability has frequently been a problem, but there have also been significant periods of strong goalscoring form.
He scored 12 times in 2023/24 and another 12 in 2025/26.
That history makes his current position more unusual than the standard case of a fringe player being moved on.
This is a Brazil international who was still providing important Premier League goals last season but is now outside the registered league squad.
De Zerbi and Richarlison Clearly See the Situation Differently
Perhaps the most revealing element is how differently the two sides describe responsibility.
Richarlison’s public comments around the Vasco deal place emphasis on Tottenham’s inability to facilitate the loan structure he wanted.
De Zerbi’s comments put the starting point somewhere else: Richarlison himself told the club he wanted to leave.
Neither statement automatically disproves the other.
Both can be true.
Richarlison may have requested an exit.
Tottenham may then have planned without him.
And Tottenham’s later transfer decisions may have made the exact Vasco loan he preferred impossible.
The dispute concerns how responsibility should be distributed across that sequence.
This is why headlines saying either “Tottenham blocked Richarlison” or “Richarlison alone rejected his exit” are too simplistic.
The available reporting suggests a significantly more complicated breakdown.
Why Richarlison’s Premier League Omission Matters So Much?
Had Richarlison remained registered, the failed Vasco transfer would have been disappointing without necessarily being disastrous.
He could have returned to training, competed for minutes and reassessed the situation in January.
Being left out of Tottenham’s Premier League squad changes the practical reality.
He cannot simply force his way into De Zerbi’s league XI through training performances while the registration list remains unchanged.
That limits meaningful first-team opportunities and gives both parties a strong reason to find another resolution.
Spurs’ upcoming matches and the development of their attacking options can be tracked through SoccerMatchToday’s Tottenham fixtures and Tottenham results sections.
Tottenham’s Scoring Problems Add an Awkward Subplot
The timing is also uncomfortable for Spurs because their attack has struggled during the opening weeks of the Premier League season.
Tottenham’s goalless draw with Everton on September 12 extended their difficult start in front of goal, increasing scrutiny of the attacking options available to De Zerbi.
It would be too simplistic to say Richarlison’s return would automatically solve those problems.
De Zerbi has rebuilt the attack around a different group of players, and tactical issues cannot be reduced to one absent striker.
Still, the optics are difficult.
A player who scored 11 Premier League goals last season remains under contract but cannot play league football for Tottenham during the current registration period.
That ensures questions about the situation will continue whenever Spurs struggle to score.
The broader league picture is available through SoccerMatchToday’s Premier League standings.
January Now Looks Like the Most Realistic Reset Point
With the Brazilian transfer window closed and several other major markets no longer available, the simplest outcome is increasingly clear.
Richarlison may remain at Tottenham until the January transfer window.
That is also the expectation reported by Press Association following the failure of the Vasco deal.
January would allow Tottenham to revisit permanent-sale possibilities, while Richarlison would gain a fresh opportunity to find a club offering regular first-team football.
A lot can change before then.
Injuries can alter squad needs.
Club relationships can improve.
Interested teams can change managers or priorities.
But unless a different contractual solution emerges, Tottenham and Richarlison now appear to be facing several months of an uneasy coexistence.
Richarlison’s Vasco Dream Is Delayed, Not Necessarily Over
One point from Richarlison’s public message appears particularly clear: his desire to represent Vasco is genuine.
He described the prospective move as meaningful to both himself and his family and suggested he still expects to play for the club at some stage.
That does not mean Vasco will automatically return in January.
Finances, squad requirements and contract structure could all be different by then.
But the player’s preference has now been placed publicly on record.
For Vasco, that could make another approach logical if the financial conditions become more workable.
For Tottenham, it gives them at least one potential destination when negotiations reopen.
The Facts Behind the Richarlison Transfer Saga
The safest conclusion is less dramatic than many of the headlines surrounding the story.
Richarlison remains a Tottenham player.
He told De Zerbi during pre-season that he wanted to leave. Tottenham subsequently reshaped their attack and left him out of the club’s registered Premier League squad.
Moves involving Everton and Trabzonspor did not reach completion.
Vasco da Gama then explored bringing him back to Brazil.
Richarlison says a short-term Vasco loan was blocked because Tottenham had exhausted their international loan capacity. Other reporting says permanent-transfer discussions and personal terms were also factors.
There is therefore no responsible basis for presenting every detail of either side’s account as undisputed fact.
What can be said with confidence is that a summer designed to produce a clean separation has instead left Tottenham and Richarlison tied together without an obvious first-team role for the player.
For Richarlison, the immediate objective remains finding regular football.
For Tottenham, it is resolving the future of a highly paid, experienced forward who remains under contract until 2027 but currently sits outside their Premier League plans.
Unless another solution emerges, January now represents the next obvious opportunity for both sides to finally complete the separation that has so far proved surprisingly difficult.
