Richarlison asked to leave Tottenham, failed to get a deal done in Turkey, and has now been left out of Spurs' Premier League squad list. At 29, with a contract still on the books, he's in football purgatory — and the calendar is closing in fast.
The Trabzonspor move collapsed before the Turkish window shut on Friday. Everton had shown interest but couldn't get a deal over the line before last Tuesday's deadline. Scotland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and MLS are all closed. The realistic options have gone from several to very few in the space of a week.
Where He Can Actually Go
Saudi Arabia is the most plausible landing spot now. The Saudi Pro League window stays open until October 12 — the longest runway still available — and the money there makes the math work for a club willing to take on his wages. It's the route several Premier League forwards have taken in recent seasons, and Richarlison fits the profile of player that market targets.
Portugal is the other European option worth watching. The Primeira Liga can register players until September 15, and the language makes it a natural bridge. Whether a Portuguese club can afford him or wants to is a different question.
Brazil and Mexico both close on September 11. Richarlison has been open about his Vasco roots, and Fluminense — where he first made his name at 18 — has history with him. Flamengo had him on their radar when Filipe Luís took charge. A homecoming has a certain logic, but the financial gap between Tottenham wages and Brazilian football is stark.
The Free Agent Question
TalkSport reported that Tottenham are considering terminating his contract outright, which would make him a free agent and open up every market simultaneously. That's the scenario that changes everything — for Richarlison and for clubs that might not have the budget to pay a transfer fee.
For now, Richarlison says he's committed. "Despite all this turbulence, I have a contract with Spurs and will continue to make myself available to the club," he wrote in a public statement last week. A professional answer that changes nothing about his actual situation.
He's out of the squad, out of most windows, and watching deadlines disappear. The next ten days decide his season.
