Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr have all expressed a desire to leave the club before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
The revelation came after Spurs suffered a second consecutive Premier League defeat, losing 2-0 at home to Newcastle United on Sunday.
Richarlison was absent from the matchday squad, while Danso only returned to the club two days before the game. Sarr, meanwhile, was unavailable because of a minor injury.
De Zerbi addresses player exits
De Zerbi said the three players had made their intentions clear as Tottenham continue a major squad rebuild following their narrow escape from relegation last season.
“He said too many times he wanted to leave. Danso came two days ago and said he wants to leave,” De Zerbi said of Richarlison and the Austrian defender.
“Sarr is the same. He suffered a small injury but is almost ready to train.”
Richarlison has one year remaining on his contract and has attracted interest from former club Everton. Tottenham are reportedly seeking around £20 million for Sarr, leaving the midfielder’s future uncertain ahead of the deadline.
De Zerbi acknowledged that changing a squad so extensively can create difficulties, with Spurs having spent more than £300 million on new players this summer.
“You can’t buy mentality,” the Italian said. “You can change many players in one window and find the balance immediately or you need more time.”
Spurs boss calls for patience
Tottenham have lost their opening two league matches without scoring, following a 3-0 defeat at Brentford before Newcastle compounded their poor start.
Despite the results, De Zerbi rejected suggestions that the club was facing a crisis and urged everyone to remain patient.
“Forget the result. I am not angry, we are working well and were unlucky today with the result,” he said.
“We will not panic. I know very well where we are going, what the plan is and what difficult problems we could find in our way.”
The former Brighton boss admitted Spurs need time to develop cohesion after the significant changes to the squad.
“We have to work hard on the pitch and find the connection with the players,” he added.
Tottenham will look to respond when they visit Nottingham Forest next week before hosting Everton on September 12.