Lawyer says De Zerbi comments can help legal case against Tottenham

Richarlison’s battle to get out of Tottenham may now have another potential legal ingredient: Roberto De Zerbi’s own words.

The Brazilian remains out of Tottenham’s plans after failing to secure a summer transfer. Now lawyers have looked at what he can actually do next.

There are three possible routes. An agreement with Spurs remains the safest one. Going to FIFA is much riskier. Yet De Zerbi’s public comments about having no intention of using Richarlison could potentially help the player’s argument.

Three ways out of Tottenham

Pedro Lopes, lawyer and founding partner of Chenus Holdings, lays out the options in order of how realistic he believes they are.

“There are three routes for Richarlison, in order of viability,” he said, as printed in today’s edition of O Estado de S. Paulo. “The first, and most likely, is an agreement with Tottenham to terminate the contract.”

“The second is to wait for the January window to seek a permanent transfer. The third, and riskiest, is unilateral termination for just cause, if the player can establish that the club is behaving abusively to force him out.”

That final route comes with a pretty big warning.

“If FIFA doesn’t recognise just cause, the player could be held liable for compensation,” Lopes explained.

So walking away from Tottenham isn’t exactly a consequence-free option.

Richarlison’s current contract runs until June 2027. Lopes points out he could sign a pre-contract with another club from January for a free transfer next summer.

That gives the striker another potential route, although it would mean waiting considerably longer to properly restart his career elsewhere.

De Zerbi’s comments could matter

The more interesting part here concerns De Zerbi. O Estado de S. Paulo say the Tottenham manager has stated he doesn’t intend to use Richarlison even if the striker is available.

Bernardo Marchesini, a member of the Sports Law Commission at OAB/SC and partner at RCA Advogados, believes comments like that could become relevant.

“A complex but possible situation would be to use statements such as those made by De Zerbi to seek a termination before FIFA on the grounds of fault by the club,” Marchesini said.

“That would remove the player’s obligation to pay the contractual compensation.”

The argument would essentially be that Tottenham are preventing Richarlison from properly exercising his profession. Whether FIFA would agree is another matter entirely.

Marchesini also warns that if the argument fails, Richarlison could end up having to pay compensation himself. That makes the legal gamble considerably less attractive than reaching an agreement with Spurs.

Tottenham agreement still looks the cleaner route

There’s another potential benefit if Richarlison can get his contract terminated. Marchesini explains that becoming a free agent could allow him to find a club outside the normal transfer window.

Registration would still depend on the rules of whichever federation he wanted to join.

We’ve already seen how determined Richarlison was to pursue the termination route during the failed Vasco da Gama talks.

The Brazilian club eventually found financial backing for a permanent purchase, and director Admar Lopes has since confirmed they made an offer.

Richarlison refused because he didn’t want a permanent return to Brazil. So the Vasco door has closed, and we’re essentially back where this started.

Still, Richarlison wants to leave Tottenham and play football again. Spurs still hold his contract. And for now, an agreement remains the much less dangerous way out.

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💬 “I adore José. We had a really good relationship at Tottenham. It didn’t end the way we wanted, and José not getting the chance to manage that final was tough. It was difficult for me too.”
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— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 18, 2026