Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has revealed that Richarlison, Pape Matar Sarr and Kevin Danso were left out against Newcastle United after asking to leave.
De Zerbi also apologised to supporters after a 2-0 loss at Newcastle left Tottenham bottom of the Premier League with two defeats from their opening two matches without scoring a goal.
Speaking after the match, De Zerbi explained the absence of the trio from the matchday squad. "Richarlison he said too many times that he wanted to leave," De Zerbi said. "Danso came to me two days ago and said he wanted to leave. Sarr the same but he also suffered a small injury but he is almost ready to train."
"I love these players and these are great guys," De Zerbi added. "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’ll find other players."
Tottenham performance and squad rebuilding
Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League last season, surviving relegation by just two points. They now sit bottom of the table after conceding five goals without reply across their opening two fixtures.
The North London club have spent close to £400million during the summer transfer window. Rebuilding squad depth under De Zerbi has included bringing in former Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and forward Omar Marmoush.
"I’m disappointed by the result and sorry to the fans for the environment after two defeats, maybe somebody thinks it’s the same history as the last two seasons," De Zerbi said. "I have no doubt it’s not like this. I can’t change my opinion after two defeats. I have big, big confidence in the qualities of my players. I’m sorry for the club. They are building a great squad but maybe they are not ready for many reasons."
De Zerbi felt Tottenham controlled early stages of the match before conceding. "Until the first goal we played better than Newcastle. More shots, more control of the ball, we suffered in two or three situations in the first half because distances too big, then after the goal we lost confidence and the reaction was not good enough, not the reaction I want to see on the pitch."
Newcastle United response and match reaction
Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle took positives from securing his first win since taking charge of the Tyneside club. The 2-0 result followed a home draw against Liverpool in their season opener.
"It was incredible and I’m really proud," Jaissle said. "We are really proud as a club, as a coaching staff, to see a team on the pitch delivering the match plan at a high level already, but also seeing players fully committed to what we’re doing."
Jaissle added: "This is a good start and a moment to enjoy."
