Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi said he does not know whether Richarlison wants to stay at the club or leave, and called for clarity from the Brazilian striker.
Richarlison, 29, scored a stoppage-time winner as Spurs beat Chelsea 2-1 in a friendly at the Accor Stadium in Sydney. He converted the rebound after youth product Jamie Donley had struck the post.
De Zerbi said he liked Richarlison as a player and as a person, praising his attitude and behavior, but said the club had to respect what the striker wanted to do. He said everyone at the club knew what Richarlison wanted, but that the forward remained an important player because it was not easy to find another striker like him.
De Zerbi noted Richarlison scored 12 goals last season, saying it was not down to luck because he knows how to score.
Mixed signals
When asked directly whether he was confirming that Richarlison wants to leave Spurs, De Zerbi said he did not fully understand the situation, since Richarlison had sometimes said he wanted to stay and other times said he wanted to leave. De Zerbi said the two would speak and that there was no problem.
De Zerbi added that Richarlison is loved by his team-mates, the club and the staff because he works hard every day, and said nothing negative could be said about him on the pitch.
Romero transfer talk
Amid reports that Tottenham have agreed to sell captain Cristian Romero to Inter Milan, De Zerbi said he had texted with Romero the day before to plan for his return to London, adding that transfer matters were not his job.
Tottenham are returning to London to continue pre-season preparations for the Premier League, while Chelsea travel on to Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia.
