Richarlison issues cryptic message after agreeing deal to leave Tottenham

Wantaway Tottenham forward Richarlison has left fans scratching their heads after taking to social media with a cryptic message amid rumours he could be set to leave the club.

Richarlison joined Spurs from Everton back in 2022 and an agreement has been reached for the 29-year-old to return to Merseyside before the transfer deadline on Tuesday.

Everton attacker Iliman Ndiaye is expected to head in the opposite direction to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The deals are subject to personal terms and medicals but there is optimism on all sides that the two moves will go ahead without any last-minute hitches.

Richarlison was handed a start in Tottenham’s opening match of the season as Roberto De Zerbi’s men were thumped 3-0 away to London rivals Brentford.

However, the Brazil international was an unused substitute against Charlton in the Carabao Cup in midweek before being left out of De Zerbi’s matchday squad altogether versus Newcastle on Saturday.

Asked to explain the absence of Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr, De Zerbi said: ‘Richarlison, I don’t know.

‘He said too many times he wants to leave. Danso came to me two days ago and he said he wants to leave. Pape Sarr the same but he suffered a small injury, but he is almost ready to train.

‘I love these players, and they are great guys. I have very good relationships.

‘But if they want to leave, they have to bring the economic solution to the club, and they can go and we find other players.’

Twenty-four hours on from Spurs’ 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, Richarlison took the opportunity to have his own say on the matter.

In a rather puzzling post on his Instagram page, the striker shared a photograph of him from one of Tottenham’s matches last season along with a thinking emoji.

On the following slide, Richarlison shared a message which read: ‘I am the villain of many poorly told stories.’

Rather surprisingly, among the 40,000 people to like the post was Richarlison’s team-mate at Tottenham, Xavi Simons.

Speaking after Tottenham’s second successive loss in the Premier League, De Zerbi issued an apology over his side’s performances while encouraging supporters not to ‘panic’.

‘There is no panic,’ the Italian told reporters.

‘I know where we are going and what the plan is. I’m sorry for the fans for the result. We have to improve. We have to work hard on the pitch and find the connection between the players.

‘I’m sorry for the fans for the environment because after two defeats maybe somebody can think it is the same history, the same as the last two seasons. I have no doubt it is not like this. I can’t change my opinion for two defeats.

‘I have a big, big confidence in the qualities of my players. At the end, when we become a team, when we improve the connection between the players, when we improve the qualities of the players, the defensive space, the distances between the attackers, defenders and midfielders, when we create a team, this group with me or another coach, nothing change because they are too good [a group of] players.

‘I am sorry for the club because they are building a great squad. But maybe now, we are not ready yet, for many, many reasons we are not ready yet.’

Richarlison has racked up 32 goals and 15 assists in all competitions for Tottenham since swapping Everton for north London four years ago.

In that time, the Brazilian has helped the club win the Europa League while also picking up a runners-up medal in the UEFA Super Cup.

The forward’s current contract with Spurs is due to expire in June 2027.