Even though it seemed like the deal had fallen apart, Richarlison did end up leaving Tottenham Hotspur after the close of the summer transfer window, making the switch to the Turkish Super Lig after years of speculation and attempts on Spurs part to sell him for good money to either the Saudi Pro League or Turkish Super Lig.
Richarlison leaves the club at a time when Roberto De Zerbi basically called him out in public and pretty much forced the move. Even though Richy rejected a move back to Everton because they were not going to pay him enough, De Zerbi's rather unsavory strategy paid off, and, in the end, Tottenham fans will be grateful that it did.
Although Richy is a great character and played a key role in Tottenham getting out of the relegation battle last season, it was time to move on, and this move to Trabzonspor, who are hoarding proven talents from around European football, clears out space and ensures Spurs do get a fee for a player who would have left for free next summer anyway.
Dominic Solanke is going to get plenty of chances now
The most important thing is that it puts the focus on Dominic Solanke in the side. Although many Spurs fans wanted the club to sell Solanke instead after his injury plagued 2025/26 Premier League season, Richarlison was so poor on Matchday 1 against Brentford that the narrative flipped, especially when Solanke scored and played well all around against Charlton Athletic.
De Zerbi has backed Solanke since coming to the team, and while he has not been fully against Richy until recently, he never had the same words of praise for the Brazilian veteran. But he sees something in the anchoring and all around skill set of Solanke, who was once touted as an elite prospect for Liverpool and Chelsea back in the day, that makes him want to believe in a talent otherwise branded by many as a transfer flop following his record signing in summer 2024.
Yet Dominic Solanke's 19 goals in the 2023/24 Premier League season for Bournemouth helped convince Tottenham Hotspur to sign him at that time. There is a player in there, and Spurs are going to either realize it this season or realize that they need to move on. This is a golden opportunity for Solanke to get his reps in, because even though Omar Marmoush was signed to be the main man at the 9 for Spurs, there will be plenty of starts out there for Solanke, too.
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