Richarlison played his first game since the transfer window closed in the EFL Trophy at Cheltenham, scoring in a 2-2 draw but losing a shootout.
The former Everton fan favourite was part of the Tottenham Hotspur U21 side that faced Cheltenham Town at the EV Charger Points Stadium on October 13, 2026. The match ended 2-2, with Richarlison scoring Spurs' first goal on 56 minutes from a James Rowswell cross. He also converted the visitors' fifth penalty in the shootout, which they lost 7-6.
From Goodison hero to reserve outcast
Richarlison's fall from grace has been stark. At the start of his final season at Everton, he received a hero's welcome at Finch Farm after winning an Olympic gold medal with Brazil. Now, as an outcast at Tottenham, he finds himself playing in front of just 1,731 spectators in Gloucestershire.
His Everton legacy includes scoring the winner against Chelsea on May 1, 2022, and the equaliser in the dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Crystal Palace later that month that secured the club's top flight status. He was sold to Spurs that summer, with Everton chairman Bill Kenwright upset that Daniel Levy exploited the situation to acquire him for less than market price while dining at Scott's seafood restaurant in Mayfair.
Failed moves and limited game time
In the final days of the summer transfer window, a dramatic Everton return looked possible, but Richarlison was unable to agree personal terms. Proposed switches to Trabzonspor and Vasco da Gama also failed to materialise.
He has featured in just 68 minutes of Premier League football this term, in the 3-0 defeat at Brentford on August 22, and was left out of the club's 25-man squad by manager Roberto De Zerbi. Spurs sit second bottom of the table with just three goals, yet cannot call upon the 29-year-old who was their leading marksman last season with a dozen goals.
Shop window opportunity
Wearing his number nine squad number, Richarlison was deployed on the left wing against Cheltenham. The lowest other number in the side was 48, sported by centre-back Alfie Dorrington, while 17-year-old Oliver Boast led the line.
Tottenham have one more group match in the competition before the January transfer window, against Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on November 24, for Richarlison to put himself in the shop window again.
