Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr were left out of Tottenham Hotspur’s squad for their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday because they have all asked to leave, according to head coach Roberto De Zerbi.Richarlison, 29, was Tottenham’s top goalscorer in the Premier League last season (11 goals) and started in their opening game of this campaign, which they lost 3-0 to Brentford.Danso, 27, was an unused substitute but came off the bench and scored in their midweek victory over Charlton Athletic. Sarr, 23, missed Spurs’ pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand due to “personal reasons” and has not been named in any of their matchday squads.Debutant Omar Marmoush replaced Richarlison in the starting XI against Newcastle while Dominic Solanke was a second-half substitute.De Zerbi revealed earlier this month on Spurs’ pre-season tour that Richarlison “sometimes wants to leave” and now it appears he could be edging closer to an exit in the final few days of the transfer window.“Richarlison, I don’t know. He said too many times he wants to leave,” De Zerbi said when asked about his absence after the game. “Danso came to me two days ago, and he said he wants to leave. Pape Sarr (said) the same, but he suffered a small injury. He is almost ready to train.”Richarlison joined Spurs from Everton in July 2022. The striker has struggled for form and fitness throughout his time in north London. Danso arrived from French side RC Lens in February 2025, under then-head coach Ange Postecoglou, and provided back-up to centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.Following the signings of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, Danso has been pushed further down the pecking order. Sarr faces increased competition in midfield after Spurs signed Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes for a combined total of £185m.De Zerbi was then asked about how he manages players who want to leave to which he replied: “I love these players, they are great guys, I have very good relationships (with them) but if they want to leave, they have to bring the solution. An economic solution to the club. (Then) they can go, and we can find other players.”Savio, who joined Tottenham from Manchester City earlier this week in a deal worth £85million ($115.9m) missed Saturday’s game. When asked about the Brazilian winger, De Zerbi said: “Savio was another tough player who didn’t play. After (Friday’s) press conference, the medical staff came to me to inform Savio didn’t feel good. Small muscular problem.“Maybe Monday or Tuesday he can start with us, but the medical staff didn’t want to take any risk with him, especially because he didn’t work or do training in the last 15 days with Man City.”AnalysisNobody will be surprised that Richarlison and Sarr want to leave and, to be honest, it is probably the right time to part ways. However, Danso’s desire for a new challenge puts Spurs in a tricky situation.The Austria international has been dependable during his 18 months in north London. Danso has plugged gaps in defence under four different head coaches and used his experience to guide team-mates when they have suffered bad results. Danso speaks multiple languages and was able to connect with the different groups within the squad.One of the reasons why Spurs allowed Luka Vuskovic to join Brighton & Hove Albion at the beginning of the summer was because Danso was seen as a reliable alternative to £52m new signing Jan Paul van Hecke at right-sided centre-back. He is also comfortable operating on the left.If the 27-year-old joins another club, Spurs face a scramble in the final few days of the window to find a replacement of a similar quality who is happy to be second choice, and that will be hard to come by.If he stays, De Zerbi has just revealed to the world that it was against his wishes. It would then be up to De Zerbi and his coaching staff to find a way to motivate Danso.