'Son Heung-min cherished him so much' — at just 29, 'career in ruins'... even the 'last hope' of escaping Tottenham has failed

*This content was translated by AI.

It has now reached a point where there is truly no solution. The long-anticipated escape of Brazilian national team striker Richarlison (29), who once received special affection from Son Heung-min during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, has ultimately been derailed.

British media outlet 'BBC' reported on the 12th (Korean time) that "Richarlison's move to Vasco da Gama in Brazil has fallen through," adding that while clubs reached an agreement on transfer fees regarding his return to Brazil, problems arose during negotiations over personal terms.

In effect, his escape attempt has failed. With the Brazilian league transfer market closing late Friday local time, it now looks increasingly likely that Richarlison will remain at Tottenham.

This is not the first humiliation for Richarlison. Just before the summer transfer window closed, negotiations to return to his former club Everton on a deal worth £35 million (approximately 620 billion won) collapsed due to disagreements over personal terms. He was then subjected to the indignity of being suddenly excluded from Tottenham's official 25-player squad for the 2026–2027 English Premier League (EPL) season.

Earlier, British media outlets including 'The Independent' and other local press reported that "Richarlison has been completely excluded from the club's plans this season." The decisive factor was conflict with the coaching staff. Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi also publicly explained the reason for his exclusion, stating, "It is because he wanted to leave the team too many times."

Player dissatisfaction had reached its peak. In response, Richarlison took to his personal social networking service (SNS) and declared, "I will never allow anyone else to decide my future again. I am not afraid of any pressure, threats, or retaliation," expressing fierce anger toward the club's top management.

However, his attempt to return to South America also ended in failure. According to 'BBC', Richarlison and Tottenham are currently embroiled in legal disputes and conflicts over the remaining nine months of his contract. While Richarlison wishes to mutually terminate the remainder of his contract, which expires next summer, and become a free agent (FA), Tottenham holds the right to activate a one-year contract extension option, leading to a tense standoff.

Richarlison scored 11 goals in the EPL last season, establishing himself as the club's top scorer. Nevertheless, after requesting a transfer and sparking a rebellion scandal, he has fallen to the point of losing even his eligibility to play in official matches and is now unable to sit on the bench.

Manager De Zerbi stated during a press conference: "Richarlison is a good player. We had many conversations trying to persuade him to stay, but I know the truth about what has happened over the past month and a half. If I had personally decided to exclude him from the squad, I would have regretted it, but this decision was not made by the club—it is the result of his own choice."

He added, "It would have been better if things had unfolded differently. It would have been far better if Richarlison had remained on the squad, stayed happy, and even signed a new contract, but unfortunately that did not happen. While I cannot forget his performances from last season, I also cannot forget what occurred over the past 45 days."

With escape routes to his former club Everton and now to his home country's Vasco da Gama both closed, Richarlison, excluded from the Premier League squad, faces a complete blockage of match participation for the remainder of the season, effectively confronting the greatest crisis of his career.

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*This content was translated by AI.