Picture the Tottenham Hotspur dressing room after a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle on Saturday evening: heads down, the new £300 million summer rebuild already looking shaky, and a head coach stepping in front of microphones to confirm what fans feared.
Roberto De Zerbi has revealed that three senior Spurs players have submitted transfer requests, with the Italian naming Richarlison, Kevin Danso, and Pape Matar Sarr as the men pushing for the exit. The comments, delivered after the Newcastle loss, have turned a bad start to the 2026/27 campaign into something approaching a full-blown crisis at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Which Three Tottenham Players Have Asked to Leave?
De Zerbi confirmed the trio directly in his post-match remarks, naming Richarlison, Kevin Danso, and Pape Matar Sarr as the players who have openly requested moves. Richarlison’s situation is the longest-running of the three, with De Zerbi stating the Brazilian has said “too many times” that he wants out of north London.
Danso, by contrast, only walked into the manager’s office two days before the Newcastle game to deliver the same message. Sarr completes the list, though his exit push is complicated by a “small injury” that has left him “almost ready to train” rather than available for an immediate switch.
Why Does De Zerbi Want Them to “Bring the Economic Solution”?
Pressed on whether there was any path back for the trio, the Spurs boss was blunt. “If they want to leave, they have to bring the solution, the economic solution, to the club,” De Zerbi said, drawing a clear line between sentiment and squad planning.
The framing matters: this is a “prepare for” story, not a “here we go” announcement. With Spurs having already splashed over £300 million this summer, the head coach is signalling that any further exits must free up funds or balance the books, not deepen the rebuild.
How Bad Has Spurs’ Start to the Season Been?
Tottenham’s opening two fixtures have produced zero points and zero goals scored. They were thumped 3-0 by Brentford on the opening weekend before falling 2-0 to Newcastle on Saturday, a sequence that has put immediate pressure on De Zerbi’s project before the calendar even reaches September. For more detail, see BBC Sport.
The contrast is striking: a club that invested heavily now sits on the wrong end of two lopsided scorelines, while simultaneously fielding questions about whether three of its summer-era signings want to be elsewhere.
Could More Players Leave Before Tuesday’s Deadline?
De Zerbi made clear the picture is not yet complete. “There could yet be more change before Tuesday’s deadline,” he warned, leaving the door open for further movement in either direction.
With the window shutting on September 1, 2026, Spurs face a compressed window to either resolve the trio’s futures or reintegrate them into a squad that has already lost its opening rhythm. For Richarlison, the long-stated desire suggests a permanent move; for Danso and Sarr, loans or structured deals appear more likely given the injury and timing factors. For more detail, see BBC Sport.
What Does This Mean for De Zerbi’s Project?
The Italian retains the backing of a board that spent big, but patience is a finite resource in north London. Three simultaneous transfer requests, on top of two opening defeats, create the kind of noise that tends to shorten managerial tenures.
De Zerbi’s public tone — affectionate toward the players personally, firm on the financial reality — suggests he is buying himself time by framing the exits as the players’ choice, not his failure. Whether that framing holds through the deadline will define the next 72 hours of Tottenham’s season.
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FAQs
Will Richarlison definitely leave Spurs this window?
De Zerbi said Richarlison has asked to leave “too many times,” strongly suggesting a permanent exit is being pursued before Tuesday’s deadline. Is Pape Matar Sarr injured? Yes. De Zerbi described Sarr as having “a small injury” and said he is “almost ready to train,” complicating any immediate transfer.
How much have Spurs spent this summer? Tottenham have invested over £300 million on new signings during the 2026 summer window, according to reporting on the club’s rebuild. When does the transfer window close? The deadline falls on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, leaving De Zerbi and the Spurs board a narrow window to finalise any moves.
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