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Tottenham flop Steven Bergwijn has been blacklisted from the Netherlands squad by Ronald Koeman after completing a move to the Saudi Pro League. Bergwjn spent 18 months in north London after joining in 2020 but struggled to make the grade and was eventually sold to Ajax.

The 26-year-old helped Ajax to win the Eredivisie in his first year at the club but was among several players to fall short of expectations last season. Over the summer, he was deemed surplus to requirements before moving to Saudi club Al-Ittihad.

Bergwijn was initially linked with a potential move to Southampton, which would have seen him return to the Premier League after two years away. However, he ended up joining Al-Ittihad in a deal worth around £17million, putting pen to paper on a lucrative three-year contract.

The former Tottenham winger was named in the Dutch squad for Euro 2024 and made two appearances at the tournament. However, it seems Bergwijn may have represented his country for the last time after being brutally axed by Koeman.

Quizzed on why Bergwijn was not included in the squad for this week's international fixtures, the Netherlands boss replied: "Steven Bergwijn goes to Saudi Arabia at the age of 26. It's clear this has nothing to do with sporting ambition. His book with the Dutch national team is closed."

It remains to be seen if Bergwijn will be able to work his way back into the Netherlands side if Koeman is replaced by another coach in the future. For now, his main focus will be to make a fast start to life in Saudi Arabia with his new club Al-Ittihad.

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His move to the Gulf state will see him link up with former Premier League stars N’Golo Kante, Moussa Diaby and Fabinho. Karim Benzema remains the star name at the club following his high-profile move from Real Madrid last year.

Bergwijn was one of several players to join the Saudi exodus over the summer, with the likes of Ivan Toney and Kurt Zouma following suit. The former joined Al-Ahli from Brentford in a £40m deal, while the latter signed for Al-Orobah on loan from West Ham.

Others such as Houssem Aouar, Jean Michael Seri, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and William Troost-Ekong also moved to the Saudi Pro League before last week's transfer deadline. Napoli forward Victor Osimhen nearly joined them but a proposed switch to Al-Ahli fell through at the eleventh hour.

Tottenham will be hoping for two players to stand up and be counted as they seek an immediate response to their defeat at Newcastle last weekend. The north Londoners were made to pay for their wastefulness as Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak fired the hosts to victory.

Spurs drew level after Barnes' opener when Dan Burn turned the ball into his own net to give the visitors a lifeline. However, they failed to find the elusive breakthrough before Isak struck late to claim all three points for the Magpies.

It was a frustrating display from Tottenham, who huffed and puffed in the closing stages without any end product and were made to suffer the consequences. They will be desperate to redeem themselves at the next opportunity by putting Arsenal to the sword in the north London derby.

Tottenham will have the benefit of home advantage but will need two players to shine in order to stand the best chance of victory. Dominic Solanke would provide an extra cutting edge in attack if he recovers from the ankle injury which has seen him miss Tottenham's last two games.

The former Bournemouth striker arrived during the summer and certainly knows where the net is, having scored 19 league goals for the Cherries last season. His proficiency in front of goal could hold the key to a derby day triumph over Arsenal if he is deemed fit enough to play.

Ange Postecoglou revealed after Tottenham's victory over Everton that Solanke's injury was a minor one but warned that he might not return until after the international break. It leaves him in a race against time to recover before Spurs host their fiercest rivals next weekend.

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Micky van de Ven will also be hoping to return to fitness for the visit of Arsenal, having missed the game against Newcastle with a knee problem. He appeared to suffer the injury against Everton and was not risked over the weekend with Postecoglou taking a cautious approach.

Van de Ven recently withdrew from the Netherlands squad over the international break to focus on his recovery. He is expected to be ready to face Arsenal and will be a hugely important asset for Spurs when it comes to stopping the likes of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz.

It remains to be seen if Tottenham will be able to claim the local bragging rights next weekend, with Arsenal clearly the better side as things stand. However, having Solanke and Van de Ven back in the team will increase their chances of securing a morale-boosting victory.

Arsenal are heading into the North London derby short of midfield options following Declan Rice’s red card against Brighton. Rice will not face Tottenham after being sent off for the first time in his career, with the Gunners unable to appeal against the two yellow cards he received on Sunday.

In a further blow to Mikel Arteta, new signing Mikel Merino is expected to miss several weeks with a shoulder injury suffered in his first training session after joining from Real Sociedad. It is expected that the Spaniard will miss the North London derby, which will take place on September 15 after the international break.

Arteta will need to find a solution to the left-sided No 8 position in his Arsenal team. Rice has played there for much of his time at the club. The departures of Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira leave a gaping hole, though.

So the ability to re-enter the transfer market for free agents could come in handy for Arsenal. Deals can still be struck if a player has been without a club since before the deadline on August 30.

Former Manchester United target Adrien Rabiot could be an excellent addition, solving Arsenal’s lack of depth in midfield and adding experience to a young squad. His physicality fits the profile of player Arteta has targeted this year.

Rabiot left Juventus at the end of last season and, surprisingly, remains without a club. Only last year, the France international was being linked with a switch to Man Utd for the second summer in a row.

While some may have doubts over Rabiot’s suitability to play for Arsenal, former France striker David Trezeguet has no doubts about the 29-year-old’s quality. He described him as ‘world-class’ when United were linked with a move in 2022.

“We are talking about a problem for Juventus, because in Italy he may have been targeted for criticism, but in France it’s completely different,” Trezeguet said at the time.

“He is world-class, an extraordinary player. Now he will evaluate his options and will go back to being the important player he always was.”

Arsenal had reportedly wanted further depth in midfield before the window closed but prioritised a move for Raheem Sterling. Rabiot would therefore remain an important squad player for the remainder of the campaign, with Arteta’s side set to compete in four competitions.

Tottenham were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United on Sunday, sending Ange Postecoglou's side into the international break with only one win in their first three Premier League matches of the season.

Spurs had most of the ball but less of the bite as strikes from Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak won it for the Magpies after Dan Burn's own-goal temporarily levelled the contest.

With Newcastle clinching the spoils and Tottenham licking their wounds, Express Sport takes you through four key talking points from the match...

Spurs experiment flops

Postecoglou was forced to get creative in attack, with Dominic Solanke and Richarlison both out injured. He opted to field Dejan Kulusevski as a false nine, but the experiment only lasted until the half-time interval, at which point Son Heung-min was shifted to the centre. Ultimately, that lack of cutting edge in the first-half is part of the reason Spurs left St. James' Park empty-handed.

£50m misjudgment exposed

Newcastle almost went for broke trying to get another winger through the door on deadline day, with a proposal for Anthony Elanga worth a reported £50million slapped down by Nottingham Forest.

At that price, Elanga would surely have been pushing for a spot in Eddie Howe's starting line-up, likely on the opposite flank to Anthony Gordon. That spot was occupied by Harvey Barnes on Sunday, and he showed his manager that he needn't have bothered with his failed deadline-day bid.

The 26-year-old is deadly around the box, and his finish to turn in Lloyd Kelly's low cross was superb. Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy are in reserve, but Barnes should have done enough to keep his place in the side and help the fans forget about Elanga.

Tottenham star aces audition

There were glum faces among Spurs fans when their team sheet revealed that Micky van de Ven would not be fit enough to take his place at the back. His absence opened up a vacancy for Radu Dragusin to fill, and despite the result, he grasped the opportunity with both hands.

The Romanian has been desperate for chances to impress since signing from Genoa in January, but displacing Van de Ven or Cristian Romero has proved nigh on impossible.

Dragusin was mighty against the Magpies, competing well in aerial duels against Joelinton, showing nifty footwork and using his natural pace to his advantage. The highlight of the defender's afternoon saw him make up significant ground on Isak before sliding in to make a potentially goal-saving block.

It remains to be seen whether Postecoglou can find space in his starting line-up to reward him after the international break.

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Linesman trouble

There was a curious stoppage in the early stages of the game as linesman Ian Hussin suffered a freak injury. The official seemed to gesture towards his thigh area as both managers used the break in play to deliver instructions to their players. Hussin and fourth official Darren Bond eventually traded places on an unusual afternoon for those in charge of the contest.

One of the most novel pieces of deadline day business involved a player going absolutely nowhere – at least for now. Tottenham struck two interlinked agreements with Spanish side Real Betis before the transfer window slammed shut until January.

The first was nothing out of the ordinary, with Giovani Lo Celso rejoining the La Liga side after failing to make an impact in north London following his £27million move in January 2020. Having spent the last season-and-a-half out on loan at Villarreal and not being in Ange Postecoglou’s plans, his departure was inevitable, albeit for what appears to be a surprisingly low fee of £3million.

However, that is a nominal figure related to Tottenham’s other piece of business with Betis, which is the part that has raised eyebrows. Spurs have reportedly secured a ‘priority option’ on highly-rated US international midfielder Johnny Cardoso.

That means they will get first refusal to sign the 22-year-old for £25.2million in the future. That is not all. Spurs are said to have negotiated a sell-on clause for Cardoso, meaning they would receive a chunk of the fee if the player signs for another club.

Therefore, Tottenham could financially benefit from the sale of a player who never kicks a ball for the club. However, given Cardoso’s burgeoning reputation for both club and country, it would be a surprise if Spurs don’t take up the option to sign him.

Given that Postecoglou is well-stocked for midfielders, he can afford to wait. Tottenham haven’t commented on the Cardoso agreement and are unlikely to do so.

While it seems like an unusual deal in Premier League circles, such agreements are more common in other parts of the world. It will help Spurs remain at the front of the line for a player who has been linked with the likes of Barcelona and AC Milan.

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While he is a US international, Cardoso, who wears ‘Johnny’ on the back of his shirt, is of Brazilian heritage. Born in New Jersey to Brazilian parents, who uprooted to the States for a better life, his family returned to the South American country after Cardoso came into the world.

He played 144 times for Internacional before securing a move to Betis earlier this year, quickly establishing himself as a first-team regular. Despite split loyalties, Cardoso had no hesitation in committing his international allegiance to the US rather than Brazil.

“When the chance came to play for the US, I didn’t think twice,” he once said, per The Athletic. “I’m representing a country that my parents love.”

Renowned as a tough-tackling anchorman, Cardoso would add some bite to Tottenham’s midfield when – or indeed if – he pulls on the famous white shirt.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have learned their Europa League schedule ahead of the 2024/25 European campaign.

United earned a spot in the second tier of continental competition following their FA Cup final victory over rivals Manchester City at the backend of last season.

While Spurs ended their season-long hiatus from Europe with a fifth-placed finish during Ange Postecoglou's first season in charge.

The Premier League duo discovered who they were playing during Friday's draw, but had to wait 24 hours to find out when those matches would be.

United's opening Europa League campaign has a very Dutch feel to it, with Erik ten Hag welcoming Eredivisie side FC Twente to Old Trafford, before a trip to Istanbul to face Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce in Matchday Three.

Much like their Premier League rivals, Spurs' Europa League journey will also begin at home when Azerbaijani side Qarabag make the trip to north London.

Spurs will too be playing in Istanbul after Tottenham were drawn against reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray.

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It does of course mark the first season of UEFA's new 'League Phase' format, which has been introduced across all three European competitions this year.

Instead of the previous six-game group stage format against three different opponents, competing clubs will now take part in eight matches against eight different teams.

It's an increase of two extra games in the initial phase, with the teams who finish ninth to 24th taking part in a 'play-off' fixture to earn progression into the last-16.

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The successful play-off winners will be paired up against one of the teams that finish between first and eighth in the league phase.

It means every match in the new format counts, given the difficulty of knockout opponents could be impacted by a club's final position in the league table.

But when will United and Tottenham play their Europa League fixtures this season?

Man Utd and Tottenham Europa League dates in full

Man Utd:

September 25 - Twente (H)

October 3 - Porto (A)

October 24 - Fenerbahce (A)

November 7 - PAOK (H)

November 28 - Bodo/Glimt (H)

December 12 - Viktoria Plzen (A)

January 23 - Rangers (H)

January 30 - FCSB (A)

Arsenal went down to 10 men and surrendered their lead against Brighton in a gripping encounter at the Emirates Stadium. Kai Havertz and Joao Pedro traded goals in a tense 1-1 draw, with both sides maintaining their unbeaten records after three games, but perhaps holding a tinge of regret over the way the game panned out.

With plenty to pick through, Express Sport presents four key talking points from Saturday's Premier League showdown...

Arsenal fall apart

Brighton will be a formidable opponent for any team this season but victory was there for the Gunners' taking. They snatched the lead when Bukayo Saka bullied Lewis Dunk and played in Havertz, who craftily lobbed the onrushing Bart Verbruggen.

Not many would have bet against Arsenal taking all three points when they trotted out for the second half, but Declan Rice's dismissal four minutes after the restart turned the tie on its head.

Less than 10 minutes later, Yankuba Minteh raced through on goal and saw his rebound turned home by team-mate Joao Pedro. Brighton even had chances to win the game on an afternoon when Mikel Arteta was left to wonder how things went south so quickly.

Two huge blows

Arteta will be without midfield general Rice when his side travel to bitter rivals Tottenham immediately after the international break. The former West Ham star was booked in the first half for a late sliding challenge, and shown a controversial second yellow after the break for delaying a restart.

Rice was fuming after being kicked by Joel Veltman, but referee Chris Kavanagh felt the Brighton defender would instead have kicked the ball if Rice hadn't sneakily nudged it away from the designated free-kick spot.

It remains to be seen whether captain Martin Odegaard will join Rice on the sidelines. The Norwegian took a knock in the first half on Saturday and moved awkwardly until being substituted in the 73rd minute. Arteta will wait patiently to discover the extent of the damage.

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Pedro purrs

Brighton's floating forward, Joao Pedro, put in a superb performance at the Emirates. Thomas Partey and Bukayo Saka were both flummoxed by his body feints, he was positive whenever he got the ball, and he was in the right place to scoop up the rebound and help himself to a second goal of the season when Minteh's shot was saved.

Raheem Sterling hope

Arteta raised eyebrows by starting Leandro Trossard on the left wing instead of Gabriel Martinelli. The Belgian has been so effective off the bench, but it didn't work out for him against the Seagulls and he was the first Arsenal player substituted. The fact that particular position is now completely up for grabs is ideal for deadline-day signing Sterling, who was in attendance at the Emirates and may fancy his chances of going straight into the starting XI.

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United side will look to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing draw away to Bournemouth with a steely showing against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The Magpies needed a late VAR check to prevent them from suffering a defeat against Bournemouth, with Newcastle’s defence tested all afternoon on the south coast.

It’s a welcome return to St. James Park this weekend and an opponent in Spurs who Newcastle demolished less than five months ago.

Ahead of the contest, Express Sport have predicted who Howe might go for in his starting XI.

Newcastle predicted XI vs Spurs (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Pope

After a clean sheet on opening day against Southampton, Nick Pope was breached at the Vitality Stadium in Sunday’s stalemate against Bournemouth.

His spot in the XI won’t be under threat though, as Newcastle look to make it two wins from two at home.

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Defence: Krafth, Burn, Kelly, Livramento

Defence continues to be a problem position for Howe, with the English coach unsuccessful in adding more quality to his backline this summer.

Following a summer-long pursuit of Marc Guehi that didn’t pay off, Howe will have to settle for the players at his disposal, with Dan Burn and Emil Krafth expected to feature at the heart of the defence.

One man Newcastle did secure the services of, Lloyd Kelly, should play off the left, while Tino Livramento, who was this week called up to the England squad, features from the right.

It means there’s once again no spot in the Premier League starting line-up for Kieran Trippier.

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Midfield: Guimaraes, Longstaff, Joelinton

There was a time earlier in the summer when it looked like Bruno Guimaraes wouldn’t even be a Newcastle player this season - instead, the Brazil international is captaining the team.

The Newcastle skipper will once again wear the armband for the visit of Tottenham, and be joined in midfield by Matty Longstaff.

Just ahead of the tough-tackling duo, Joelinton, who made an error in the build-up to Bournemouth’s opener last weekend, will look to service a goal-hungry Newcastle attack.

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Attack: Murphy, Isak, Gordon

Another area Newcastle reportedly looked to strengthen late in the window, Howe might not have secured the signatures of any new attackers, but he did at least keep hold of his two biggest threats up front.

Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, despite heavy links elsewhere, remained at the club beyond yesterday’s 11pm deadline and should provide the biggest goal threat for Newcastle this season.

Harvey Barnes or Jacob Murphy remains the only question for the final spot, with Howe expected to start the latter for the third Premier League game in a row.

Newcastle predicted XI: Pope; Krafth, Burn, Kelly, Livramento; Guimaraes, Longstaff, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon

Tottenham are facing a fresh crisis up front as Ange Postecoglou has been left down to the bare bones against Newcastle United on Sunday, with decisions made on Dominic Solanke and Son Heung-min.

Postecoglou's side recovered from a disappointing 1-1 draw against Leicester to thrash Everton 4-0 in their first home game of the season.

A tougher test now lies in wait for them at St James' Park, where they have conceded 10 goals on their last two visits. And Spurs will be left light up front after precautions were taken the club's medical team ahead of the game.

Express Sport looks at how the north London outfit could line up on Tyneside on Sunday afternoon.

Tottenham's predicted XI vs Newcastle (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Vicario

Guglielmo Vicario has been ever-present for Spurs since his £16m move from Empoli and the Italian remains a key component in the Tottenham defence. Spurs do have three backup goalkeepers in Fraser Forster, Alfie Whiteman and Brandon Austin should Vicario suffer a late fitness issue.

Defence: Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie

Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have all been in inspired form since the start of the new season, with all three contributing at the goal end. Now Postecoglou will be hoping they can learn from their errors in last season's 4-0 thrashing to register another clean sheet against Newcastle.

Van de Ven reportedly hurt his knee against Everton, but Postecoglou said the Dutchman is "OK" ahead of the clash. Otherwise, there are no other injuries in the backline.

Midfield: Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison

Rodrigo Bentancur is available again after the midfielder suffered a scary head injury against Everton. The Uruguayan was knocked out cold and had to be substituted under concussion protocols, but he has received the all-clear to return to first-team action.

"Rodrigo is all good, he's passed all the protocols we need to, and more importantly he feels really good and the medical team are really comfortable with him being available for Sunday," Postecoglou said.

However, the 59-year-old boss may chose to be cautious in his selection and give the 26-year-old a prolonged rest, with Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma sitting deep. James Maddison will be relied upon to support the three-man attack in the No. 10 role.

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Attack: Kulusevski, Son, Johnson

Spurs have suffered a huge blow after record signing Dominic Solanke was ruled out of the clash at St James' Park. What's more, his deputy Richarlison has also picked up a problem that will keep him sidelined for a "few weeks", according to Postecoglou.

"Dom [Solanke] 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 on Sunday," he said.

The Australian will have to decide between Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and new £30m signing Wilson Odobert to fill the vacant slot when Son moves across to play as a No. 9.

But he has shown a tendency to select Johnson more often than Werner, while Odobert may need some to adjust after his switch from Burnley. On the other flank, Dejan Kulusevski will keep his place as a relied and trusted creator from the rgiht.

Tottenham star Son Heung-min’s father Son Woong-jung has reportedly been 'summarily indicted’ for charges relating to 'abusing young players at his South Korean football training centre'.

The Tottenham captain started his side’s first two Premier League matches of the season and bagged a brace as Spurs thrashed Everton 4-0 last weekend.

The 32-year-old is in line to feature when his team travel to Newcastle on Sunday for their third match of the campaign.

According to Seoul-based news agency Yonhap, regional prosecutors in Chuncheon have said that Son and two of his assistant coaches at the Son Football Academy have been ‘ordered to pay an undisclosed fine and to complete a training programme designed to prevent further child abuse’.

And if the court or the defendants decide not to seek a public trial, the prosecutors’ orders will be finalised.

One of the assistant coaches is Son’s older brother Heung-yun. The three coaches are accused of ‘physically and verbally abusing young players’.

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The outlet have explained that the parents of one player reported Woong-jung and his staff to police in March. They claimed that their son had ‘sustained injuries to his thigh area that required two weeks of treatment’ after Heung-yun had ‘struck him with a corner flag’ during a training camp in Japan.

The boy’s parents said that Woong-jung had ‘hurled profanities at players for making mistakes’ during football sessions which had taken place at the same Okinawa camp.

The news agency reported that they had obtained and viewed video clips that showed Woong-jung ‘kicking a player during a match’ and other coaches ‘hurling profanities at players’. Woong-jung has maintained that many of the charges are ‘not true’ and has said that he ‘hasn’t done anything that was not based on love for the players at the academy’.

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Son Heung-min is one of Tottenham’s longest serving players, having joined the club from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.

The forward has bagged 164 goals and 84 assists in 410 appearances for the Lilywhites and helped the club reach the Champions League final in 2019, where they lost 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid.

Last season, Son featured 35 times in the Premier League and contributed 17 goals and 10 assists as his team narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification after finishing fifth in the table, two points behind fourth-place Aston Villa. The star has also racked up 48 goals in 127 appearances for South Korea and currently captains his country.