Richarlison turned out for Tottenham's Under-21s on Tuesday against Cheltenham Town in the EFL Trophy. He's 29 years old. That sentence needs no commentary.
His last competitive appearance for Spurs before this was the opening-day loss at Brentford on August 22 — a match that now feels like it was played in a different era. Since then, Roberto De Zerbi has left him out of the Premier League squad entirely and didn't even include him in the Carabao Cup exit at Liverpool. Tuesday's outing was his first competitive football in months, lining up on the left wing in a development squad fixture against a League Two side.
The squad registration problem — and why it matters
The mechanics behind Richarlison's exile are worth understanding. Tottenham could only register 17 non-homegrown players in their Premier League squad, and De Zerbi chose Xavi Simons over the Brazilian striker. Simons, it should be noted, is still recovering from an ACL injury sustained in April and won't be available for several more months. De Zerbi essentially chose a player on crutches over Richarlison — which is either a harsh assessment of the striker's standing or a very clear statement of long-term intent, or both.
Richarlison asked to leave this summer. That much De Zerbi confirmed publicly. Approaches from Everton — where he made his Premier League name — and boyhood club Vasco da Gama both came and went without a deal. A loan to Vasco was apparently something Richarlison actually wanted, but Spurs had already hit their international loan limit. His contract runs until next summer, with a club option to extend it by another year, and his representatives have reportedly explored legal routes to terminate it early.
None of that worked. So now he's playing against Cheltenham.
What comes next
The January window is the only realistic exit route at this point. Whether a club comes in for a striker who hasn't played meaningful football since August — and who publicly wants out — is a separate question. His market value will not be climbing while he's making up the numbers in EFL Trophy fixtures under development squad manager Wayne Burnett.
Spurs' attacking depth looks thinner for the choice De Zerbi made, and any scout pricing up a move for Richarlison in January will have watched very little of him doing anything meaningful between now and then. The situation doesn't benefit anyone. But it is what it is until the English transfer window reopens.
