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Ange Postecoglou needs his Tottenham side to deliver a big performance following the disappointment of their 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United last time out. The better side at St. James' Park for the vast majority of the contest, Spurs ended up on the losing side following Alexander Isak's late strike.

Things certainly don't get any easier for Postecoglou's men as the first North London Derby of the season is now on the agenda. Tottenham welcome Arsenal to N17 on Sunday afternoon for a 2pm kick-off and they will be intent on getting the better of Mikel Arteta's side following their 3-2 defeat back in April.

Falling three goals behind in the opening 45 minutes of the contest, Spurs did give themselves some late hope following Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min goals but they just couldn't find that crucial third to salvage a point. Currently on four points from their opening three Premier League games of the season, Postecoglou and Tottenham cannot afford to pass up more points, especially in this weekend's North London Derby.

Injuries have dominated talk heading into the derby showdown, with Martin Odegaard's injury on international duty for Norway the headline news. Spurs have already had to contend with injuries so far this term and were missing the likes of Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke at Newcastle United.

Now that Postecoglou has provided the latest on the injury front after speaking to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday afternoon, here we take a look at what is his dream Tottenham XI to face Arsenal.

Ange Postecoglou has provided the latest Tottenham team news ahead of the North London Derby against Arsenal. Both teams are dealing with some major injury issues for Sunday's clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with three ongoing worries and one new blow present for Postecoglou.

Dominic Solanke, Richarlison and Micky van de Ven all missed the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle before the international break. Solanke has been absent since making his debut against Leicester City after picking up an ankle injury with Richarlison and Van de Ven both dealt their issues in late August.

Based on previous comments by Postecoglou, there is some hope that all three can return for this weekend's game with the Spurs boss now issuing positive updates on Van de Ven and Solanke.

Speaking to the official club website, he said: "It’s fairly positive. Micky's good, he's trained all the way through the international break and it was good for him to stay with us to build him back up so he's ready to go.

"Dom's improved as well and trained the back half of this week. We still have two days to go with those guys so hopefully they get through training ok and are available." Given Postecoglou's update, a return to the heart of the defence for Van de Ven appears likely, though Solanke may have to settle for a place on the bench.

As he has only just returned to training, following a three-week injury lay-off, his fitness levels may need to be increased before being named from the start. On Richarlison and young striker Will Lankshear, he added: Richy's still got a bit of work to do, alongside Will Lankshear who is still in rehab.”

Yves Bissouma is another injury concern for Postecoglou after he was taken off in Mali's AFCON win over Eswatini with the Tottenham boss revealing he is a doubt for the weekend. "Biss is the only one [back from international duty] that has got an issue.

"It's not serious but he is getting treatment today and we'll see if he can train tomorrow and then we'll make a decision from there. As for Arsenal, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino will likely be joined by club captain Martin Odegaard as key absentees.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!Click here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Hello and welcome to football.london's blog as Ange Postecoglou faces the media at Hotspur Way ahead of the North London Derby!

Tottenham will welcome Arsenal to N17 on Sunday afternoon as both sides hope to return to winning ways after the international break. The Lilywhites head into the clash following a disappointing 2-1 defeat away to Newcastle United, meanwhile, the Gunners were, controversially, held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton on home turf.

Mikel Arteta may have won three of his last four meetings with Spurs, but the Spaniard could be without three key players: Mikel Merino, who's nursing a shoulder injury, Declan Rice, due to suspension, and Martin Odegaard, who suffered a knock while away with Norway.

Ange Postecoglou, however, is yet to taste victory in a North London Derby. But, with Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven nearing returns from the treatment room, the Tottenham boss could be quietly confident this weekend.

So, with that being said, stay with us at football.london's as Postecoglou faces the media. Scroll down for all the latest updates from his post-match press conference at Hotspur Way...

Arsenal injury news

Arsenal are expected to be without captain Martin Odegaard for the North London Derby. But Mikel Arteta has refused to rule him out of action.

Read what the Arsenal boss had to say about his team news right here.

Postecoglou on what he learned from last season...

I don’t think I learned anything that I already knew. I will never go into a game not wanting to win. I will try and win every game I play.

Postecoglou on Tottenham's start to the season...

Results come sooner rather than later. We got to stay consistent in our approach. We dominated all three games. Results haven’t come but if we maintain that over 38 games we’ll be in a good position. We got to keep at it. Stay focused on the important elements of our game.

Postecoglou on why Arsenal are so tough to play...

Approach, mentality. The last two years they’ve had a real relentlessness about them. They have this confidence in themselves that they can challenge over the course of the season. They’re going to be a tough nut to crack, but it’s a great opportunity for us.

Postecoglou on rivalling Arsenal for the title...

Not specifically Arsenal – we want to be a club that challenges everyone. That's what we want to become. I think we're in a good place to push on from last year. There’s no reason why we can’t [challenge] this year.

Postecoglou on comparisons between Tottenham and Arsenal project...

Different clubs, different environments. I've said before there’s obviously a way to build a team and a club, going in a certain direction. It's about finding the right people for the right positions.

Postecoglou on Bentancur...

We know it’s something the league will look at and we need to let the process play out. Rodrigo's well aware of the ramifications.

Postecoglou is with us!

Ange Postecoglou has joined us at Hotspur Way... let the show commence!

Injury update

Ange Postecoglou has delivered an important injury update ahead of the press conference kicking off this afternoon.

There were question marks over the fitness of Dominic Solanke, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Yves Bissouma ahead of this weekend's North London Derby.

It appears two of them will be ready to take to the field, one is definitely out and one Spurs will make a late call on.

Read the full injury update here.

O'Hara makes North London Derby prediction

Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, Jamie O'Hara has backed Spurs to waltz away victorious this weekend. The former Tottenham midfielder said: "Tottenham have been playing some top-notch football, dominating possession and creating chances.

"We’ve seen strong performances against Leicester and Newcastle even if the result didn’t go their way, and it’s only a matter of time before those chances start finding the back of the net.

"I’m expecting Tottenham to dictate the game, keep most of the possession, and make their opportunities count. I predict a 2-1 win for Spurs. Heung-min Son could easily bag a couple of goals and with Dominic Solanke possibly returning, and players like Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski ready to make their mark.

"Tottenham’s squad has everything it takes to win the North London Derby!"

Less than 30 minutes until we're joined by Postecoglou!

Ange Postecoglou will face the media at Hotspur Way in half an hour or so! What questions would you ask the Tottenham boss this afternoon?

Bentancur charged by the FA over Son comments

Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged by the FA over his comments regarding Son Heung-min following a controversial interview this summer. During a televised interview ahead of the Copa America, the Spurs midfielder attempted to make a joke when a reporter asked for a shirt from one of his teammates.

A statement from the FA on Thursday read: "Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged with an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview. It’s alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.

"It’s further alleged that this constitutes an 'aggravated breach' which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference, whether express or implied, to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin. Rodrigo Bentancur has until Thursday 19 September 2024 to provide a response to this charge."

Richarlison will be eyeing a return too

Before the international break, Ange Postecoglou provided a brief update on Richarlison, who was not called up by Brazil to continue his rehabilitation. The Spurs boss said: "The only other one we got midweek is Richarlison, who unfortunately picked up an injury in training, so he'll probably miss the next few weeks."

He added: "We took a really sort of conservative approach with him. He didn't play in any of the preseason games, and he's really only played 20 minutes of first-team football.

"But again, obviously he's had a setback. So it's something we just got to go back with Richy and work through the steps now of getting him back up and running, because you know, when he's fit, he's such a handful."

Dragusin impresses in Van de Ven's absence

In Micky van de Ven's absence, Radu Dragusin impressed his boss. Speaking to reporters after the Newcastle match, Ange Postecoglou said: "I thought he was good Radu. It was a great opportunity to expose him. I mean, he's only 22.

"He's still a young man, especially for a defender and I thought exposing him to this atmosphere and the threat, the particular threat that Newcastle posed with Isak up front, he had to be really concentrated and I thought he was.

"I think he's going to play a big part in our season. Him coming through that, that whole experience, will set him up well..."

Van de Ven doubt

Micky van de Ven withdrew from the Netherlands squad during the international break to focus on his recovery. The 23-year-old defender appeared to jar his knee against Everton, but he was later pictured in training ahead of the Newcastle clash.

Ange Postcoglou was unwilling to risk Van de Ven against the Magpies. The Tottenham boss said: "Micky was close in training this week but with the international break he’s not quite 100 per cent. Part of me was keen to give Radu a run, especially at this venue, so yeah we’re going with Radu today."

Asked if it was disappointing, Postecoglou replied: "No, not really. It’s nothing serious. We’ve got a heaped programme straight after the international break so we’re going to need all our back four. So getting Radu a game today I think is a positive thing for us."

Solanke injury update

Dominic Solanle suffered an ankle injury during Tottenham's clash against Leicester City on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. As a result, the 26-year-old striker was ruled out of Spurs' following games against Everton and Newcastle.

Ahead of the Toffees match, Ange Postecoglou described Solanke's knock as 'not serious'. He said: "Dom picked up a knock in the last game so he got through the game but it flared up the day after, so he'll miss [Everton]. It just depends on his recovery [when he returns], obviously we've got the international break, but it's not serious."

Then, before the defeat at St James' Park, Postecoglou said: "Dom is close but we're going to be a bit cautious with him, we've got a big programme post the international break, so he'll miss out."

Jake Stokes

Son strikes an excellent vein of form

Son Heung-Min has struck a brilliant vein of form ahead of the North London Derby this weekend. On Tuesday afternoon, the Spurs captain starred for South Korea in a World Cup qualifier against Oman.

Hong Myung-bo's team claimed a 3-1 victory at the Sultan Qaboos Stadium, with Son playing a pivotal role in the win. He scored his country's second goal of the game in the 82nd minute, while also providing the assist for South Korea's other two goals.

Hwang Hee-chan and Joo Min-kyu were also on the scoresheet as Son played the full 90 minutes and came through unscathed. Ange Postecoglou will hope to have his skipper available for the Arsenal match after a busy couple of weeks over the international break.

Jake Stokes

Good morning!

Hello and welcome to football.london's blog as Ange Postecoglou faces the media at Hotspur Way ahead of the North London Derby! The Lilywhites boss will be with us from 1pm to give us his thoughts on the highly-anticipated clash, as well as the latest updates and injury news...

Ange Postecoglou has admitted that Rodrigo Bentancur is "well aware of the ramifications" after he was charged by the FA over his comments regarding Tottenham teammate Son Heung-min earlier in the summer. The Spurs midfielder could possibly now face a ban of between six and 12 matches if his FA charge is upheld.

Following the news that emerged on Thursday, Postecoglou was quizzed about Bentancur when previewing this weekend's North London Derby and he revealed that the club "need to let the process play out".

"I guess not unexpected from our perspective as we kind of knew that it's something the league would look at and we need to let the process sort of play out now," admitted the Australian. "Rodrigo's well aware of the ramifications of any outcome from the panel but we'll just wait and see what they come out with."

He added: "In terms of Sonny and Rodri, I think they had their kind of discussion about the whole incident and I think both players understand and respect each other's position and Rodri's already apologised for what he said and Sonny has accepted that and accepted the fact that one of his teammates, a person he is close to, has made a mistake.

"Beyond that, I don't know what you mean by the real world. We all live in the same world, whether you're a footballer or anyone down the street, we all live in the same world and we all kind of understand the ramifications of our actions irrespective of who we represent. Ultimately we represent ourselves as people and you try along the way as human beings we try to do the right thing all the time but it doesn't always happen and we all make mistakes.

"I've said before for me it's not just about punishment, it's the opportunity for people to atone, to learn because if we're talking about having a society that's kind of understanding and tolerant of everything we also must show that to people who make mistakes, as Rodri has made this time.

"We kind of know him very well and a lot better than most because we spend every day with him and we understand the kind of person he is and we understand that even though he's a great guy and a fantastic teammate, he's made a big error this time and he's got to take the punishment but also we need to make sure that we give him the opportunity to atone from it, learn from it and hopefully others learn from it as well."

The FA charge came about after Bentancur, in an interview broadcast in June, attempted to make a joke when a reporter asked for a shirt from one of his teammates.

The journalist asked: "Can you get me the shirt from the Korean?" to which Bentancur asked "Sonny?" and the journalist said "Or any other champion?" Bentancur replied: "Or any cousin of Sonny, they all look more or less the same!" to which the reporter replied "Yes, of course!!"

A statement from the FA on Thursday read: "Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged with an alleged breach of FA Rule E3 for misconduct in relation to a media interview. It’s alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute.

"It’s further alleged that this constitutes an “aggravated breach” which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference, whether express or implied, to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin. Rodrigo Bentancur has until Thursday 19 September 2024 to provide a response to this charge."

While Bentancur can play in the mean time, after speaking to the FA football.london understands that match-based sanctions of six to 12 games are recommended to regulatory commissions for almost all 'aggravated breaches' of FA Rule E3 that are a first offence by individual participants.

The Spurs midfielder has the opportunity to accept or deny the charge. If he accepts, the commission will go on to decide on sanction or sanctions. If Bentancur denies it, the commission will decide whether to uphold or dismiss the charge, and if the former they would also decide the sanction or sanctions.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou have provided an injury update on Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke ahead of the North London Derby this weekend. Tottenham Hotspur will host Arsenal at N17 in what is expected to be a fiery encounter.

Speaking to the official club website, the Lilywhites boss said: "It’s fairly positive. Micky's good, he's trained all the way through the international break and it was good for him to stay with us to build him back up so he's ready to go.

"Dom's improved as well and trained the back half of this week. We still have two days to go with those guys so hopefully they get through training ok and are available."

While it is good news in regards to both Solanke and Van de Ven, question marks persist over Yves Bissouma's participation in Sunday's match after he was forced off in the second half of Mali's win over Eswatini earlier in the week.

“We had the last of the boys in late yesterday so we'll have a look at them today and everyone's reporting all well except for Biss,” Postecoglou told SPURSPLAY. “He's got a bit of an issue, but we'll have a look at him over the next couple of days and see how it settles.”

Two players who won't feature in the match, though, are Richarlison and Will Lankshear as they continue to work their way back to full fitness.

Postecoglou said: “Richy's still got a bit of work to do, alongside Will Lankshear who is still in rehab.”

Just before the international break, Tottenham suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat away to Newcastle United, while the Gunners were, controversially, held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton on home turf. So, Postecoglou will be hoping that the duo can help Spurs return to winning ways.

For the first time since moving into the Emirates Stadium almost 20 years ago, Arsenal are in a position to mount consecutive and serious title challenges. It has not been an easy ride.

From being invincible, the Gunners have failed to win the Premier League ever since. Their consistency in getting Champions League football along the way was remarkable, but their only runners up finish since Arsene Wenger's golden trophy champions came having been top for just four days in 2015/16.

That was, until Mikel Arteta came along. Arsenal's battle with Manchester City across the last two seasons has been a momentum shift. It is the first real time since before the move from Highbury that they have maintained the level as realistic challengers.

Gary Neville has predicted them to win the thing. For once, and unlike much of the period between 2005 and 2022, they are not behind Manchester United or Chelsea, even Liverpool, in being the closest rival at the top. Arsenal, to put it bluntly, are back.

It is what the club had hoped would come with the move a short distance across north London in 2006. A modern stadium fit for a champion team. At the time, the curved Emirates Stadium exterior was a leader in state-of-the-art design, and it was a ground worthy of Wenger and Thierry Henry (among others).

For much of the past decade, though, the £390million that it took to build the Emirates Stadium was without much reward. Toxicity took over at times, mediocrity crept in throughout the club, and the atmosphere was not what it has been for much of the last two seasons.

The architecture plans to keep sound within the stadium, travelling around the bowl, has not been best used. That has all changed though. Along with Arteta, and the help from Stan Kroenke, his son Josh, and sporting director Edu Gaspar, Arsenal have established themselves at the top table of European club football once more.

They deliver football that deserves the noise brought about, and the results have kept people coming back. Under the Kroenkes - who were initially involved shortly after the stadium opened in 2007, but who had seen almost only a negative version of their home from 2018 onwards before the Arteta revival - Arsenal have recreated the fear factor.

The club also continues to work to draw in extra money from their stadium. It is not the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which will hurt, and NFL is unlikely to be played in this part of north London, but Arctic Monkeys, the Killers, Green Day, Kaiser Chiefs, Muse, Sam Fender, All Time Low, The Hives, The 1975, Dizzee Rascal, Coldplay, Rita Ora, and Bruce Springsteen have all played concerts there in the past 16 years.

It provides additional revenue for Arsenal and Kroenke under his Sports and Entertainment enterprise (KSE). The recent success as a multi-purpose stadium has been reflected as well.

Event insurance specialists, Protectivity, analysed Google reviews in a study on Premier League stadiums. Looking at the 20 teams for the 2024/25 season and the three relegated from last term, Arsenal rank well.

Based on the proportion of five-star reviews left, the Emirates Stadium comes out as fifth best. Behind Liverpool (Anfield - 86.99%), Tottenham (84.33%), the City Ground (Nottingham Forest, - 80.76%), and Old Trafford (Manchester United - 80.53%), it is an impressive feat.

Housing a maximum seated capacity of just over 60,000 - the fifth most in the league - Arsenal have an overall 4.6 out of five rating on Google, which is just 0.1% behind Liverpool, Spurs, and Forest. It is level with United, as well as Newcastle, and Manchester City.

The percentage of five-star reviews for the Emirates Stadium is recorded at 79.08%. Justification for the spend and the move? Maybe. But there is still some way to go to deliver the glory days.

Arteta on if the coming weeks are make or break for the title race

Day by day guys. If we look where we’re going to be in May and the amount of games that we have to play we cannot be like this. We’re going to run out of oxygen. I want to prepare the next day. We’re going to go to Spurs and have an unbelievable game.

Arteta on if he's happy with his squad depth

Yes. It can be bigger but we have certain limitations that we know about. We had to do certain things certain transactions. We have signed a few players and it’s been a bit different to other years. What happens in recent years is really unlucky but we have to face it.

Arteta on Sterling

I knew straight away after 10 seconds that we had to bring him because he really wanted it. After 10 seconds I knew already before the next questions that we had to bring him here.

Arteta on Odegaard

We need some more tests. Let’s see what happens in the next day or so. This afternoon probably. Let’s see the extent of the injury and how quickly we can get him back. Martin wants to be here every day but we have to wait and see.

I leave that to the doctor. He’s willing and he wants to be present in every game. We need to make sure we know first how good he is or not.

Players with 48 hours are always available. Let’s see what happens.

Spurs news

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is holding his press conference right now and he has issued an update on his club's injury situation.

Spurs were concerned over the fitness of three key players - Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke and Yves Bissouma. It looks like two of them are goig to be fine for Sunday's clash, with question marks over just one.

Read the full story here.

Arteta's answer to Arsenal midfield crisis for Spurs

The North London Derby is fast-approaching and Mikel Arteta is facing something of a crisis at Arsenal.

He already knew he would be without Declan Rice after the England international was sent off harshly during the 1-1 draw with Brighton prior to the international break. He also knew that new signing Mikel Merino would be absent for the game after he was injured in his first training session at London Colney.

To make matters worse, it now looks as though Arteta will be without Martin Odegaard. The Arsenal captain was injured while on duty for Norway this week and is facing around three weeks on the sidelines.

With that in mind Arteta has some serious thinking to do when it comes to this Sunday's match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Read about that here.

Massive game

This is always one of the biggest matches in the Premier League calendar. The North London Derby gets the juices flowing like no other.

Arsenal have won back-to-back games at the Totetnham Hotspur Stadium. A third in a row would be the first time they have done that since the 1980s. And it would just go to show the dominance the Gunners have over Spurs in recent years.

Mikel Arteta has found the winning formula before, can he do it again, with a scaled back squad?

Inside Arteta's Arsenal revolution

It's been a busy four and a half years for Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.

Now that he's signed his new contract read Kaya Kaynak's piece on how the Spaniard has been able to transform the Gunners from mid-table mediocrity to title challengers here.

The build-up to the latest North London Derby has been dominated by injuries and unavailability as Tottenham prepare to host Arsenal on Sunday.

The Gunners will arrive without the suspended Declan Rice and injured new signing Mikel Merino, while captain Martin Odegaard picked up what looked to be a serious ankle injury on international duty with Norway this week. Tottenham will be hoping for returning injured players with Ange Postecoglou set to provide an update on the fitness of Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven in his press conference on Friday at Hotspur Way.

There were also some suggestions that midfielder Yves Bissouma may have come off with a knock for Mali in midweek, although others claimed he walked off the pitch in a normal condition despite having his foot trodden on.

The return of Solanke and Van de Ven would certainly be a major boost to the Postecoglou system and transform the Australian's team into a closer version of what he wants, with the former the pressing, goalscoring striker that can link it all together up front and the latter the speedy centre-back who can mop up behind the high line against the Gunners.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold and football.london writer Tom Canton, who mainly covers Arsenal, discussed everything around the upcoming North London Derby in a brand new episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham. You can listen to the show in podcast format by heading right here or watch it on YouTube by going right here.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

A former financial advisor to Manchester City believes that the club will be relegated if found guilty of their alleged 115 charges of financial wrongdoing.

The reigning English top-flight champions were charged in February 2023 over historical accusations from 2009 until 2018 of violating the league's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. City strongly denies all charges, with an independent hearing to begin on Monday.

Both the Premier League and City will make lengthy legal representations, outlining their case in a hearing that is expected to go on for two months. The outcome could have huge ramifications for City's top-flight rivals, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.

And Stefan Boson has offered his view on the case, sharing his belief that City could be relegated if found guilty. He stressed however that their situation differs to that of Nottingham Forest and Everton who breached the league's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

“The scale is on a completely different level [to Everton and Forest],” he told talkSPORT back in January. “There can be no question that this will end in at least relegation - that’s no question, if those charges are proven. There's a suggestion of conspiracy over effectively a 10-year period.

“They [Premier League] are suggesting that City’s main sponsorship agreements are not for £50-60m but are actually for £8m and the whole thing was a sham.

“That a whole load of people lied and a whole load of executives from multiple companies were in on it and that the club also lied to multiple other parties. Professionals, people doing due diligence on the company, the league, UEFA, the FA.”

Borson added: “If proven, this is super serious. Nobody would argue with that. City themselves in their submission - I promise you, because they’ve said it to CAS [Court of Arbitration for Sport] - will say this is an allegation of the most serious nature.”

City were accused of financial wrongdoing by UEFA before their two-year European ban was overturned by CAS in 2020. Borson believes the club will come out on the winning side again given the scale of what the Premier League is claiming and has to prove.

He added: “I think they [City] will clear their name because I think a case of this nature has to have a level of cogent proof, which seems to me to be impossible to present to an independent commission.

“And furthermore, it seems highly unlikely that the conduct that is alleged has taken place over a 10-year period with the sorts of individuals who are involved in the club and in the companies involved.

“It seems highly unlikely and that will be the starting point of any independent commission. It will be a very big call for any quasi court or tribunal to suggest that this number of people have been dishonest and have perjured themselves.

“That will be a massive call for effectively some KCs and maybe a former finance director of a football club to make against not just Manchester City, but against numerous executives, some third-party individuals and potentially senior members of foreign states.”

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a new three-year training wear sleeve sponsorship deal and football.london understands the Premier League club are also set to announce a new five-year tech partnership with Salesforce.

Spurs announced on Thursday that they have signed a deal with the digital payment and financial tech giants Ant International which will last three years and see the company's brand Alipay+ become the training wear sleeve partner for both the men's and women's teams.

Ant International will become the club's exclusive "official global payment solutions and digital wallet partner" in order to provide a "seamless payment experience for fans at the stadium and on e-commerce platforms, using payment methods widely used in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region".

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said: "The club and Ant International are fully aligned as we look to deepen connections with our football fans through digital interactions. We shall also be supporting the growth in awareness of the Ant International brand across our extensive global platforms as an elite Premier League club.

"Ant International, together with its ecosystem associates, brings a wealth of experience in digital fan engagement in football following its partnerships during the two most recent UEFA European championships. We are excited to work with them to enhance the digital experience for our fans in-stadium and online - and further engage our fanbase across the APAC region."

football.london also understands Tottenham have agreed a five-year tech partnership with American cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) company Salesforce.

The San Francisco-based firm is worth more than $241billion and made an annual revenue of over $36billion in the current year up to July 31. The business opened up new boundaries across the world in providing the ability for support, sales, and marketing teams worldwide to work online via web browsers rather than through software that constantly needed costly upgrading.

Salesforce's CEO, chairman and co-founder Marc Benioff is worth $9.1billion according to Forbes and the 59-year-old invests in numerous tech start-ups.

The new deals for Tottenham with Ant International and Salesforce are expected to be part of a run of further new partnerships agreed by the north London club in the weeks ahead.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham!Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.