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Reports from South Korea have revealed that Tottenham are preparing to invite Son back for a major December home fixture, marking his first return to north London since his departure in August. According to Sports DongA, Spurs have been working on the logistics of the emotional visit, with the plan centred around the club’s biggest home match of the month - most likely the clash against Liverpool the weekend before Christmas. The invitation comes after Son’s MLS season with LAFC ended earlier than expected, opening a window of opportunity for the reunion to take place.

Son, who left Spurs for Los Angeles immediately after completing the club’s South Korea pre-season tour, has repeatedly expressed that he was unable to properly thank supporters before leaving. His abrupt exit, driven by MLS timing and Tottenham’s summer schedule, meant no farewell match, lap of appreciation or chance to speak directly to the fans who watched him become a club legend. Spurs have identified December as the perfect opportunity to rectify that absence and give Son the goodbye moment he missed.

The report outlines Tottenham’s plan for a pre-match presentation on the pitch, followed by a half-time tribute celebrating his decade of excellence at the club. The club will also present Son with a special commemorative gift and arrange a private visit to the Hotspur Way training centre, allowing him to reconnect with staff members to whom he has always expressed deep personal gratitude.

Son’s return is more than a ceremonial gesture, it symbolises closure after an emotionally complex summer exit. Although he remains adored in north London, the timing of his move to LAFC meant there was little room for any formal goodbye, leaving a sense of unfinished business between the player and the supporters. Tottenham’s intention to bring him back now reflects both the depth of the club’s respect for him and the recognition that his legacy deserves a proper celebration inside the stadium he lit up for a decade.

The setting is significant. December home fixtures carry prestige, atmosphere and sentimental weight - particularly a potential tribute before or during the home match against Liverpool, which has quickly emerged as the likeliest date given its global visibility. Such an occasion would allow Spurs to honour Son in front of a full house and on a weekend where his presence would resonate well beyond north London and across Korea, Europe and MLS audiences alike. It is a moment designed not only as a farewell, but as a global reminder of his remarkable connection with Spurs.

Additionally, Spurs have gone beyond the public-facing ceremony by ensuring Son’s visit to Hotspur Way is part of the plan. The forward has often spoken about the behind-the-scenes staff - from physios and chefs to groundskeepers and analysts - who shaped his daily life and development at the club.

Son’s legacy at Tottenham is one of the most celebrated in their modern history, spanning a decade of brilliance, leadership and longevity. After joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, he went on to make 454 appearances, score 173 goals, and record 101 assists, becoming one of Spurs’ greatest Premier League forwards. His individual honours, including the Puskas Award and the Premier League Golden Boot as the first Asian winner, cemented his global status and his place in the club’s folklore.

He also completed his Spurs career by finally lifting a European trophy, winning the 2024–25 Europa League in Bilbao in what became one of the most meaningful nights of his time with the north London side.

The absence of Gabriel brought elements of doubt into how Arsenal might perform against Tottenham at the weekend, particularly considering their reliance on set pieces this season. 12 of their goals in 2025-26 have come from either corners, free-kicks, throw-ins or penalties, but not when the lights were brightest. When Spurs made the short trip across north London, the Gunners were free-flowing and ruthless in front of goal. Eberechi Eze's hat-trick stole the headlines, and even Leandro Trossard's opener did not require a dead-ball situation.

Their performance proved that while Gabriel is an impressive tool to have in their goal catalogue, Arteta's men are more than capable of putting the ball in the back of the net in any way they choose. That did not stop the Spanish head coach from having a light-hearted joke with the media ahead of the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Most managers would claim they were concerned if their primary method of scoring goals was from set pieces, but not Arteta. Pep Guardiola's disciple is clearly keen for his side to continue dominating the final third in the air, and even admitted his frustrations after failing to bag from a corner or free kick. Speaking in his press conference, he said: "I am upset we didn’t score with a set piece. I want to score with a set piece as well."

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Things do not get any easier for Arsenal as the days pass. After facing Bayern, they face Chelsea in a crucial clash at the top of the Premier League. The Blues sit second, behind their London rivals, and a win could take them within three points of top spot. That match at Stamford Bridge will end the Gunners' run of three games in six days.

It is certainly not an ideal situation for the league leaders, but once again, Arteta had no complaints. He said: "We will try and beat Bayern and then we have Chelsea - that is how ruthless the schedule is. But at the same time, how privileged we are to be involved in three incredible games in six days.

"Every opponent brings different challenges. They are in a great moment. The level of consistency they have shown in results and performances is impressive. We know that, but it is a massive opportunity for us to show what we are capable of.

"We have the same intention to win it. We made sure we had very good preparation again. We know the importance of the match. We are in a really strong position, we want to maintain that for sure."

Head coach Frank admitted he felt confident going into the north London derby but Arsenal dismissed Tottenham with apparent ease, with Spurs mustering an Expected Goals tally of just 0.07 and a paltry three shots on goal. After the loss on Sunday, the former Brentford manager, who joined Spurs on a three-year deal over the summer, apologised to the travelling fans.

He told Sky Sports: "I think it is extremely painful. I won't talk away from that. It was a bad performance. It was completely the opposite of what the intention was when we came here. We can only apologise to the fans for the performance. I think no matter if both teams wanted to play shirt, they got more out of that and we couldn't get out. When the team went long, we didn't win enough duels. That is exemplified by the 2-0 goal and the 3-0 goal, where a player went through two or three players. Bad performance and we lost. I have seen a lot of character and fight in this team but we didn't win enough duels. We can call that whatever we want but we didn't win enough."

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham want to give Frank enough time to get things right but there are concerns he is making life hard for himself by chopping and changing too much. The report adds that Spurs believe Frank's numerous rotations have contributed to their inconsistency and creativity problems. Some players are keen for Frank to focus more on his team's strengths, rather than the opposition's, but it is unclear how widespread that feeling is. The club's owners, the Lewis family, are targeting long-term success under the Dane, which suggests that no short-term decisions are being considered. Incidentally, Frank took the number of changes he has made to his starting XI to 29 for the Premier League so far - the third-most in the league after Wolves (39) and Chelsea (31).

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Frank also said that he tried to deploy the same tactics Tottenham used in their agonising UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August, but what he got was an "extremely bad" performance.

He added: "That's an extremely hard defeat to take. We are all emotional and frustrated and need to look at it with calm heads. I was very confident going into the game that we could be competitive and we weren't, which was disappointing. We tried to do something different that was very successful against PSG. Today it wasn't and I always take responsibility for my decisions and then when it doesn't go the way we want it to go, that's on me. We changed it at half-time but I am 1000% sure that no matter what formation you play if you don't win enough duels or are aggressive enough, it doesn't matter what formation you play."

The games don't get any easier for Tottenham as after the loss to table-topping Arsenal, they travel to defending Champions League holders PSG in Europe's elite competition on Wednesday. And one area Frank is eager to fix is their toothless attack.

He said: "That [lack of creativity] has been an ongoing theme that we are working hard to improve. It doesn't look good today or against Chelsea. We need to keep working on it. There were a lot of things in this game we need to do better. We are four months into it and they are further in their journey as a team and that was very obvious today. Of course there will be noise. We played against our biggest rivals and we lost badly. But we keep noise out and we focus. I know this tam is very competitive. I know this team is competitive and we showed that against Man City and PSG. Of course it looks bad today and it was not good enough."

An Eberechi Eze hat-trick inspired Arsenal to a resounding victory at Emirates Stadium on Sunday over their bitter rivals. The result took them six points clear of second-placed Chelsea and seven ahead of Manchester City, following their shock loss to Newcastle United. It was not just that Mikel Arteta's side claimed all three points it was the manner of their victory that will make the rest of the division sit up and take notice. They have the best defence in the league and the joint-best attack with City. If they keep this up, they may finally end their league title hoodoo.

Liverpool legend Carragher believes that the side most likely to stop Arsenal from winning the league this season is themselves. In previous years, they seemed primed to end their barren run, only to fall short at the last. But with Liverpool languishing down in mid-table and City being a bit inconsistent, Arsenal are the big favourites for this race.

He said on Sky Sports: "The only team that can stop Arsenal winning the league is Arsenal; they are the best team. They are the best squad. The only thing that can stop them is their own heads, their own mentality. Maybe this crowd getting nervous in March and April, if the league is still up for grabs by then. This would be the one. If they didn't win it, I think we'd all point the finger at them and say, 'You threw this away’. I don't think that's ever been the case before. I always think the case has been that there has been a team slightly better than them in the Premier League, but that is definitely not the case this season."

Arsenal icon Thierry Henry believes his old team needs to "embrace" their status as favourites for the title. He also wants the Gunners to put together displays that make other teams "scared of us".

The Frenchman added: "At some point, you have to embrace it. People are talking about the process. It's not believing in the process anymore. It's happening. We put ourselves in the situation where we believe we have the best squad. So you need to make sure that you can win the league. I'm not saying they are going to win it but you need to act like you are the favourite. Embrace it. It's not me trying to put pressure. If I were coming back in the summer, I would have said, 'It's time to stop messing around'. We now need a performance this year where people are scared of us."

Arteta was delighted with his team's victory, and, in particular, how they dismissed Tottenham with ease. Ahead of a crunch Champions League encounter with Bayern Munich in midweek, followed by a trip to Chelsea next weekend, the Spaniard says they cannot rest on their laurels.

He told BBC's Match of the Day: "It's a very special day for us. We knew the importance of the match and what it means to our fans. To be able to give them that joy, it's a beautiful day. We dominated every part of the game. We created massive chances and had a lot of actions that we were very close to scoring. We stayed patient. Whoever we put in there they do the jobs for us. This squad has the belief and quality to deliver consistently. We have really good momentum but you can see how difficult every game in the Premier League is. It's a long run, let's go game by game. Let's enjoy tonight, then we have Bayern here and Chelsea away. We have a tough week."

The Spurs keeper began by apologising to the thousands of Tottenham fans who attended the game after a horror night in enemy territory. He also said that the game plan they prepared was very different to the one they executed at Arsenal.

He told Sky Sports: "A very bad night for us. First of all we have to apologise to the people that support us every day. They expected us to fight and today we didn't fight. That's not negotiable to do in football in this level. It's a tough night, a very bad defeat, but we have to stick together. We have a big night on Wednesday but we need to stick together. Tonight we didn't show the things we are normally capable of. The emotions are high, but we need cool heads and apologise to the people that support us and have travelled today. I think we waited too much to get into the game. We were too passive. The game plan we prepared was different. Today we didn't fight. We have to apologise first of all for this. But we have to stick together and move on because on Wednesday we have a big night."

Vicario did appeal that Eze's first goal should have been ruled out as a couple of Arsenal players were in his eyeline and were offside. But he later said that it would not have mattered to the scoreline.

The 29-year-old added: "I think the way the game went it wouldn't have changed anything. There were three people in front of me so of course they impacted me. But we didn't lose the game for that."

Tottenham boss Frank said he felt confident going into the north London derby but what he got was an "extremely bad" performance. He said he tried to replicate the tactics they deployed in their narrow UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August but these two displays were like night and day.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's extremely painful to stand here after an extremely bad performance. Against the worst team we could put a bad performance in against. It was the perfect storm. I think especially first half we lacked the ability to have pressure and get close to them and be aggressive enough in the duels. We had to absorb to much pressure throughout the first half. In the second half we got a little bit better but nowhere near the level we want.

"That's an extremely hard defeat to take. We are all emotional and frustrated and need to look at it with calm heads. I was very confident going into the game that we could be competitive and we weren't, which was disappointing. We tried to do something different that was very successful against PSG. Today it wasn't and I always take responsibility for my decisions and then when it doesn't go the way we want it to go, that's on me. We changed it at half-time but I am 1000% sure that no matter what formation you play if you don't win enough duels or are aggressive enough, it doesn't matter what formation you play."

The Spurs keeper began by apologising to the thousands of Tottenham fans who attended the game after a horror night in enemy territory. He also said that the game plan they prepared was very different to the one they executed at Arsenal.

He told Sky Sports: "A very bad night for us. First of all we have to apologise to the people that support us every day. They expected us to fight and today we didn't fight. That's not negotiable to do in football in this level. It's a tough night, a very bad defeat, but we have to stick together. We have a big night on Wednesday but we need to stick together. Tonight we didn't show the things we are normally capable of. The emotions are high, but we need cool heads and apologise to the people that support us and have travelled today. I think we waited too much to get into the game. We were too passive. The game plan we prepared was different. Today we didn't fight. We have to apologise first of all for this. But we have to stick together and move on because on Wednesday we have a big night."

Vicario did appeal that Eze's first goal should have been ruled out as a couple of Arsenal players were in his eyeline and were offside. But he later said that it would not have mattered to the scoreline.

The 29-year-old added: "I think the way the game went it wouldn't have changed anything. There were three people in front of me so of course they impacted me. But we didn't lose the game for that."

Tottenham boss Frank said he felt confident going into the north London derby but what he got was an "extremely bad" performance. He said he tried to replicate the tactics they deployed in their narrow UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August but these two displays were like night and day.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's extremely painful to stand here after an extremely bad performance. Against the worst team we could put a bad performance in against. It was the perfect storm. I think especially first half we lacked the ability to have pressure and get close to them and be aggressive enough in the duels. We had to absorb to much pressure throughout the first half. In the second half we got a little bit better but nowhere near the level we want.

"That's an extremely hard defeat to take. We are all emotional and frustrated and need to look at it with calm heads. I was very confident going into the game that we could be competitive and we weren't, which was disappointing. We tried to do something different that was very successful against PSG. Today it wasn't and I always take responsibility for my decisions and then when it doesn't go the way we want it to go, that's on me. We changed it at half-time but I am 1000% sure that no matter what formation you play if you don't win enough duels or are aggressive enough, it doesn't matter what formation you play."

David Raya (6/10):

The former Brentford 'keeper was beaten by a wonderful bit of improvisation from Richarlison. Some of his distribution wasn't the best but, he wasn't tested much.

Jurrien Timber (8/10):

Was commanding and powerful in defence and attack in the first half and continued that after the break with an assist for Eze's second.

William Saliba (7/10):

The France international was relatively untroubled against Tottenham's uninspiring attack. Tougher tests will lie ahead, and he won't have the injured Gabriel Magalhaes alongside him, but so far, so good.

Piero Hincapie (7/10):

Came in for Gabriel and acquitted himself well at the back, albeit he wasn't tested a great deal. Likes to get forward, too.

Riccardo Calafiori (7/10):

Continues to keep Lewis-Skelly out of the starting XI and for good reason. The Italian is just a brick wall at times.

Eberechi Eze (10/10):

Popped up with a moment of magic for his opener and Arsenal's second. Quick feet and some terrific finishing earned him a dream-like north London derby debut. This is a game he will never forget, and he could be the difference-maker this season.

Martin Zubimendi (6/10):

After a competent first half, he lost possession a bit too easily, and seconds later, Richarlison reduced Tottenham's arrears with a goal of the season contender. Still passes through the lines very well.

Declan Rice (7/10):

Bagged an assist for Eze's first goal with a neat one-touch pass, which summed up his attitude for the game. Ergo, get the ball forward quickly and in a direct manner.

Bukayo Saka (8/10):

When Spurs were standing firm, he was the one who showed signs of breaking their resistance. Nearly scored with an excellent free-kick and was involved in the build-up for both first-half goals.

Mikel Merino (8/10):

Led Arsenal's attack in place of the injured Gyokeres, but his most telling contribution was outside the box when he lofted a brilliant pass into Trossard's path for the opening goal. He's a good option for Arsenal to have.

Leandro Trossard (8/10):

Timed his run to perfection for Arsenal's first of the game and just about did enough to squirm his shot past Vicario. His movement and decision-making were top-notch and nabbed an assist, too.

Noni Madueke (7/10):

Was sharp and direct when he came on.

Ethan Nwaneri (7/10):

The teenager was lively and alert off the bench.

Cristhian Mosquera (N/A):

Too little time to make an impact.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (N/A):

Came on at the death.

Mikel Arteta (9/10):

While Frank fielded a very conservative starting XI, Arteta played a strong hand, and it worked for him. His team repeatedly managed to break open Spurs' deep-lying defence with a mixture of skill, vision, and tenacity. Performances like these will do his team the world of good, as the Spaniard got this spot on.

Simons came to Tottenham with a big reputation and a sizeable fee of £52m ($70m) in late August after impressing at Leipzig, with the 22-year-old scoring 22 goals and notching 24 assists in 78 appearances.

Upon his arrival, head coach Thomas Frank said: "He’s a player who has proved his ability over the years to provide goals and assists from both the 10 position and the left wing, Xavi can play in both positions. He’s a very good finisher inside and outside the box. His dribbling ability, and his acceleration in bursts, give him that opportunity to go past players in one-on-ones, also to drive past players in more open spaces. His eye for his team-mates is key, in terms of unlocking defences, and I’m convinced he will come in and help the team and be part of a team that is working very hard together. Xavi is young, 22, he has plenty of room to develop and get better, but even though he’s young, he’s played a lot of matches over the last four, five years, which means I’m fully convinced with his qualities he can step straight in and help us. Of course, like any player coming into the Premier League, and a new team, there will always be a bit of adaptation time. He has great experience from the Holland national team, playing in the Champions League last two seasons… great experience he can bring to the team."

However, he is yet to score in 14 appearances, despite contributing two assists. That, and more, has led Henry to raise concerns about the former Paris Saint-Germain man.

The former Arsenal forward did stress that it is not easy to hit the ground running when swapping the Bundesliga for the Premier League, while using former Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz as an example following his big-money move to Liverpool. However, he also suggested the German league is not a reliable indicator of success for the English top-flight when asked about Simons.

He said on Sky Sports: "It's not easy to arrive in a team and perform straight away. We can see Florian Wirtz at Liverpool, but I always have a question mark on people that perform in Germany. That's only me. I'm not saying that they won't perform in another league. I'm just saying, because of the way the league is, they're really stretched. So if you can run well, you're going to have a lot of opportunity, goals, assists. People can run with you in this league. So it's very difficult. Do you think the managers right now are letting their players dribble or do they want to control everything to make sure they're not going to get countered? Playing a low block all the time is not always easy to create. Look at Arsenal. We don't create a lot of opportunities. We score a lot on set pieces. I'm not going to go back to the old story and everything, but you need to find a way to score goals. So you're going to create way less than what we used to be able to do in our time because teams are playing low. They don't try to bite or come out. So the spaces are tight. And if you don't allow people to dribble and make mistakes, like I always say, the reward is in the risk. Where are you going? You're not going to have the stats of creating. And if you don't take your chances when you have one, well, you're in trouble."

While Simons has chalked up a good number of minutes, he has not completed a full 90 in the Premier League this season. Boos echoed around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the attacking midfielder was taken off against Manchester United earlier this month but the Dane is not worried about his confidence levels dropping off.

He said: "No, I think it’s part of it. There’s a reason why we didn’t start him, of course. I think he’s played two starts, short turnaround. Also, that energy and freshness I talked about played 90 minutes on Wednesday night.

"I think when players make mistakes on the pitch, if they lose a ball or they miss a pass, of course, I can get irritated. In general, I’m not talking about a specific situation. That’s part of football. How many times have you seen a player miss a pass or do something? That happens. And that can be flow, that can be confidence, that can be everything, whatever it is. Mistakes are part of football."

Arsenal will aim to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League, while Spurs know that victory would bring them within five points of Arsenal.

Arsenal vs Tottenham Betting Predictions

All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.

Arsenal – Arsenal (Half Time – Full Time) @ 21/20 with bet365

Both Teams to Score (Yes) @ 1/1 with bet365

Declan Rice to Score or Assist @ 21/10 with bet365

Gunners to lead at halftime

Almost 70% of the goals Tottenham have conceded away this season came in the first half. Arsenal have also scored first in five of the last seven North London derbies.

Despite this, the betting markets indicated a probability of just 48.78% that Arsenal lead at half time and maintain that lead to win the game. Tottenham’s away form has been much better than their results at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

They have an average of 2.60 points per away game, which is the same average points return as Arsenal’s home record. However, Spurs have won at the Emirates Stadium only once in the league and aren’t expected to stop the Gunners in this match.

Arsenal vs Tottenham Prediction 1: Arsenal – Arsenal (Half Time – Full Time) @ 21/20 with bet365

Value on goals scored at both ends

To describe Arsenal’s defence as impenetrable is likely an understatement, especially on home soil. They’ve conceded just 0.20 goals per home game this season, which is significantly below the 1.10 league average.

Additionally, Tottenham have conceded just 0.60 goals per away game, comfortably below the league average of 1.64. However, both teams have averaged 2.40 goals scored per game. This shows they have a strong attacking ability.

Both Teams to Score (Yes) is currently at a probability of 50%, but there is likely more than a coin-flip chance that both sides score at least once. Especially since both teams have scored more than two goals per home or away game on average. It’s the value play from this trio of Arsenal vs Tottenham predictions.

Arsenal vs Tottenham Prediction 2: Both Teams to Score (Yes) @ 1/1 with bet365

Backing Rice to get on the scoresheet or assist

Declan Rice has been a crucial player for Arsenal for the last two seasons. The former West Ham icon is now starting to contribute in the attack as well. He has recorded four goal contributions in 11 appearances in the Premier League this season.

This equates to a strike rate of 36.30% to score or assist in any game so far in 2025/26. Yet, the betting markets suggest Rice has only a 32.26% chance of making a goal contribution in this North London derby.

With Mikel Arteta’s side likely to have fewer strikers, Rice must aim to step up and take charge of Sunday’s game. He is likely to do so with a goal contribution of any kind against their North London rivals.

Arsenal vs Tottenham Prediction 3: Declan Rice to Score or Assist @ 21/10 with bet365

Our analysis: Form of both teams

The first North London derby of the 2025/26 Premier League season is almost here. Arsenal host Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, with the Gunners aiming to maintain their four-point lead over Manchester City.

The Gunners’ first 11 league games have been almost perfect. They have recorded a 73% win rate, scoring almost two goals per game and conceding less than 0.5 goals per game. It’s the joint-best goal difference in the division alongside second-placed Manchester City.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is facing selection issues ahead of this clash with Spurs. In the final third, there are concerns regarding Viktor Gyokeres’ fitness. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz will not play due to injury. Martin Odegaard is working hard to return, while Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli are unlikely to play.

Despite Tottenham’s fifth-place position in the table, it’s likely that some fans haven’t yet fully embraced the new boss, Thomas Frank. So far, Frank’s biggest issue has been the Spurs’ home form, as they’ve lost 50% of their home fixtures this season. This has made it difficult for the Danish coach to build a relationship with the home supporters.

However, Tottenham have been in great form on the road, as they've won 80% of away games and remain unbeaten. They’ve also kept clean sheets in 60% of their away fixtures. Injuries are a major concern for both Frank and Arteta. The likes of Solanke, Kolo Muani, Gray, Dragusin, Bissouma, and Kulusevski are sidelined. Meanwhile, Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr are unlikely to be fit for Sunday’s game.

Predicted lineups for Arsenal vs Tottenham

Arsenal expected lineup: Raya; Timber, Calafiori, Saliba, Mosquera, Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Eze, Merino

Tottenham expected lineup: Vicario; Porro, Spence, Romero, van de Ven, Palhinha, Bentancur, Simons, Johnson, Kudus, Richarlison

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Following Spurs' 1-0 loss to Chelsea at home earlier this month, where Thomas Frank's men had a nightmare outing, former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Carragher savaged Palhinha for a poor showing, as he said: "Palhinha hasn't got the quality. For a player playing for Tottenham in central midfield, for me, that's a pass you have to be able to make. He can't make it.

"Palhinha is on the ball, five touches because he hasn't got the confidence or the ability. What you've got is you've got a lack of courage and confidence from certain players, but you've also got a lack of ability of certain players."

Palhinha has now hit back at Carragher. "I saw it because some people sent it to me, I can't say I didn't see it," the midfielder said of the analysis. "I don't care what the people say. If he speaks bad things about Ronaldo, he can speak about everyone. Some people need to speak about another to be on the screens on the TV. My life is not about that, definitely.

"It makes it a bit embarrassing seeing sometimes the ex-players speaking that way. They speak and they look sometimes like superstars on their past, I don't have problems to say. I think he should have seen probably more games of me at Tottenham. I think I am having a top season."

He added: "I don't care too much because we have a lot of birds speaking all the time about us and trying to drop us. It is about how we react. And the way I reacted was scoring a goal after he said this to me, against Copenhagen. I just want to keep doing my job and show what I am capable to do because I am really proud what I have been doing until now. We are really motivated and have everything to reach a good result."

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The Portugal international, who joined Bayern from Fulham in the summer of 2024 for around £47 million (€56m/$61m), was initially seen as an ideal partner for Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka in the centre of the park. However, he struggled to establish himself and failed to meet expectations.

Palhinha made just 25 appearances in all competitions in the last campaign, with only 10 starts, and his transfer is now regarded as one of Bayern’s more disappointing investments in recent years. After just one season, he was loaned to Tottenham as Bayern sought to cut their losses.

This season, Palhinha has featured in 18 matches across all competitions under Thomas Frank and has rediscovered himself as he has scored four goals, including a strike in a 2-0 win at Manchester City, and has provided two assists.