Chelsea and Tottenham met in the Sydney Super Cup for a pre-season game on Saturday, with Spurs winning 2-1 thanks to goals from new signing Sandro Tonali and striker Richarlison.
Richarlison tapped home the winner in injury-time in what was a result from De Zerbi that sends a message to not only Chelsea but the rest of the Premier League.
Speaking after the game, De Zerbi touched upon Richarlison who has been at the centre of transfer speculation for the past two summers.
Richarlison is loved by Tottenham
When asked if Richarlison will stay at the club, the Italian head coach explained that the striker is much loved by everyone at Spurs.
“I don't know, because I like him as a player, as a guy, it's unbelievable the attitude and behaviour, but at the end we have to respect what he wants to do. And we know, every one of us knows what he wants to do, but for me he's still an important player, because it's not so easy to find another striker like Richarlison, because Richarlison scores goals and he knows the way.
“The new striker, we don't know. The other striker, we don't know. He scored 12 goals last season, not through luck, because he feels the way to score.”
Could Richarlison leave?
When asked if Richarlison wants to leave, De Zerbi admitted that he was unsure but revealed how hard the striker works 24/7.
“I don't know, I didn't understand well, because sometimes he said to stay, sometimes he leaves. We have to speak anyway, there is not any problem, he's a lovely guy.
“All of us love him, the team-mates, the club, the staff, because he works hard every day, seriously every day, and we can't say anything on the pitch.”
Reports suggest Spurs would accept somewhere in the £21-26M range for Richarlison, especially as he is approaching the final year of his contract.