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Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou sees no long-term future for a "quality player" in his squad, and his levels are said to have "significantly" dropped behind the scenes.

Spurs supporters will be anxiously waiting for Postecoglou's official team sheet ahead of their looming North London Derby on Sunday, with the Lilywhites set to host cross-city rivals Arsenal in a mouth-watering clash right after the international break.

Both teams come into the contest on a similar run of form, with Tottenham winning one, drawing one and losing one of their opening three Premier League games so far. An opening weekend draw away to Leicester City was followed by a dominant 4-0 win over Everton, but Newcastle continued to be an unhappy stomping ground for Spurs, with the Magpies inflicting a 2-1 defeat on Postecoglou's men at St. James' Park.

Arsenal were dealt their first dropped points of the new campaign a fortnight ago, drawing 1-1 with Brighton at the Emirates, which will encourage Postecoglou - alongside Mikel Arteta's array of absentees this weekend.

Declan Rice won't be involved through suspension, while Arsenal summer signing Mikel Merino is also set to miss their trip to Tottenham after picking up a shoulder injury in training. Gunners captain Martin Odegaard could be sidelined for the next four weeks with an ankle injury too, so he won't be playing any part in north London.

For Spurs, there is optimism that Postecoglou could have a near-fully fit squad at his disposal. Star defender Micky van de Ven, summer signing Dominic Solanke and Richarlison missed their loss to Newcastle, but at least two of the aforementioned men could feature against Arsenal.

Postecoglou stated before their trip to the North East that Richarlison could be out for weeks after a training injury, but both van de Ven and Solanke may return for Spurs this weekend. However, there is a worry surrounding midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Bissouma was hauled off injured in midweek, during Mali's 1-0 win over Eswatini, and some reports suggest he could be a doubt to face Arsenal, depending on the severity of his issue.

Postecoglou could freeze Sergio Reguilion out at Tottenham

There is also a debate whether Postecoglou will call upon Sergio Reguilon for his matchday squad, with the Spaniard yet to feature this season after failing to seal a summer move.

The left-back, reported to be on around £120,000-per-week, could still seal a move to Turkey with their transfer window open at the time of writing, but he is running out of time.

GiveMeSport claim that Postecoglou sees no long-term future for Reguilon at Tottenham, and it is believed that the 27-year-old's levels have "significantly" dropped behind the scenes, which won't do him any favours.

Jose Mourinho's Fenerbache are reportedly interested in Reguilon, coming after the Portuguese originally brought him to Spurs from Real Madrid in 2020, but it is unclear whether the former Sevilla starlet will get a Süper Lig lifeline so late in their window.

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It was an interesting summer of transfer business for Tottenham Hotspur this year.

Daniel Levy and Co splashed £65m to secure the services of Premier League proven striker and once-capped England international Dominic Solanke, but most of their business looked markedly different in approach.

Instead of bringing in another two or three older players who had the experience of consistently playing in the top flight, the Lilywhites opted to sign several young up-and-coming talents in players like Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Yang Min-Hyeok.

Signings like these might not get the fans off their seats at the moment, but they are all highly rated and have the potential to develop into something special.

Moreover, by focusing on younger players, the club can ensure they don't miss out on the next big thing, as they did in the mid-2010s when, instead of listening to David Pleat about a future England star, players like Clinton N'Jie and Moussa Sissoko came through the door.

N'jie & Sissoko's Spurs careers

Okay, so let's start with Sissoko first, as while he had his detractors early on, he did end up spending five mostly successful years in North London.

In fact, while many in the media dubbed him a £30m flop following his underwhelming debut campaign in N17, he quickly improved and soon became a genuinely useful player for Mauricio Pochettino during a period in which he had the club fighting for major honours.

The former Newcastle United midfielder played 202 games for the Lilywhites, scoring five goals and providing 16 assists, mostly from central and right midfield.

On the other hand, N'jie was an unmitigated flop. While he wasn't egregiously expensive, his £12m fee was still reasonably sizeable for a young forward in 2015.

There wasn't an enormous amount of pressure on the then-22-year-old at the time, as his job was to occasionally play off the left and be the backup for a then-still-young Harry Kane, but even then, he failed to deliver.

In 14 appearances across his one and only season with the club, he failed to score and provided just a single assist before he was sent on loan to Marseille for the following season. A year later, he eventually joined the French team permanently.

Overall, while Sissoko was eventually a successful signing, N'jie certainly wasn't, and around the time the club signed the pair, Pleat was telling them to sign an encouraging talent from the lower divisions who could play all over the pitch.

Spurs missed out on Ollie Watkins

Yes, the youngster that Spurs missed out on signing is indeed England international Ollie Watkins.

According to an article from the Athletic, Pleat recommended a number of talented youngsters to Spurs in the mid-2010s, from James Maddison to Dele Alli and a certain 'box-to-box midfielder' from Exeter City.

Yes, before he was terrifying defenders up top, the Newton Abbot-raised marksman was, in his own words, a "utility man" who was happy to play anywhere, including but not limited to "left-wing back, centre midfield, right wing, striker."

However, while he was at one point more familiar with the role Sissoko played, he soon developed into a seriously deadly attacker, and after wowing fans at Exeter's St James' Park, he earned a move to then-Championship side Brentford, where yet more impressive form finally earned him a massive £28m move to Premier League side Aston Villa.

Since his move to Birmingham, the dynamic goalscorer has gone from strength to strength and moved from the wing to the centre-forward position, and, so far, he's racked up 70 goals and 27 assists in 172 games, which explains why the club value him at a whopping £75m.

However, he took another step up last season, as in 53 appearances, he scored 27 goals and provided 13 assists, which helped the Villans qualify for the Champions League and booked him a place at Euro 2024, where he scored England's winner in the semi-final.

Ultimately, while clubs cannot sign every player recommended by their scouts, on this occasion, Spurs would have been better off listening to Pleat and bringing in Watkins alongside Sissoko instead of N'jie.

It would be fair to say that Tottenham Hotspur's start to the Premier League season hasn't been ideal.

Ange Postecoglou's men have played some entertaining and attacking football, but a lack of cutting-edge has cost them.

Granted, summer signing Dominic Solanke has missed the last two games and is set to return for the North London Derby. However, it still feels like they haven't fully replaced Harry Kane, which could well be an impossible task.

The Englishman was outrageously effective in his final season with the club and has taken to life in the Bundesliga like a duck to water.

Interestingly, one of his new teammates previously had a trial with Spurs, and in another universe, he would be tearing it up under Postecoglou.

Kane's last two seasons

The thing about players like Kane is that once they break onto the scene, they are generally impressive every season, but among the mess that was Antonio Conte's final year at Spurs, it felt like the England captain once again stepped up to another level.

Perhaps it was because he knew he would be leaving in the summer, or maybe it was a desire to salvage what was a disappointing campaign for the club. However, whatever the reason was, the Walthamstow-born poacher was immense.

In just 49 games, he scored 32 goals, provided five assists and, had it not been for the inhuman Erling Haaland, he would have finished as the league's top scorer.

Unsurprisingly, the England centurion's incredible form carried on in Germany, and if anything, he took yet another step forward - even if his title curse remains as strong as ever.

In just 45 matches for Bayern Munich, he scored 44 goals and provided 12 assists, meaning he maintained an average goal involvement every 0.80 games; in other words, he produced 1.24 per game.

The former Spurs captain looks ready to go again this season and has a new exciting teammate to play alongside him, a teammate who was once on trial with his former club.

Spurs missed out on Michale Olise

Yes, while it might surprise some, the player in question is French international Michael Olise.

In an interview with BerkshireLive, former Spurs youth coach Mehmet Ali revealed that as a teenager, the talented winger had trials with the North Londoners and Manchester City before joining Reading, where he impressed enough to earn an £8m move to Crystal Palace in 2021.

In South London, the "world-class" dynamo, as dubbed by Micah Richards, had his fair share of injury problems, but when he was on the pitch, his quality was undeniable, and in his final season for the Eagles he racked up an impressive haul of ten goals and six assists in 19 games.

That means he maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.18 games, which was enough to tempt Bayern into splashing £50m on him during the summer, and it's not hard to see him thriving alongside a player like Kane in the years to come.

Ultimately, spotting talent in young players is one of the hardest things to do in football, and while Olise is undoubtedly one who got away for Spurs, they are well-placed with Postecoglou at the helm to attract plenty of talented youngsters in the years to come - you only have to look at the signing of Archie Gray this summer to see that.

Tottenham Hotspur are frontrunners to sign a "mind-blowing" new forward for manager Ange Postecoglou, who could join in a very shrewd move.

Spurs prepare to host Arsenal in North London Derby this weekend

It's been a mixed start to the new Premier League season for Postecoglou and co, who have watched Spurs win one, draw one and lose one from their opening three top flight matches.

A 1-1 opening weekend draw away to Leicester City was swiftly followed by a dominant 4-0 victory over Everton, but Postecoglou's side were soon dealt their first defeat of the new campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St. James' Park.

A tough next test awaits Spurs, as they prepare to host Arsenal in a mouth-watering North London Derby clash on Sunday. Postecoglou could have both Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke back for Arsenal, with the star duo both forced to sit out their loss on Tyneside.

Richarlison is expected to be unavailable for Tottenham's next game, though, with the Brazilian picking up an injury in training just before the trip to Newcastle. Postecoglou claimed that Richarlison is likely to miss the next few weeks as a result, but another worry comes in the form of midfielder Yves Bissouma.

The former Brighton star limped off injured in the second half of Mali's 1-0 win over African minnows Eswatini on international duty, coming after he scored the only goal of the game. Bissouma is now a doubt for Tottenham's game against Arsenal as a result, with both supporters and Postecoglou anxiously waiting for an official diagnosis of his injury.

It is unclear who would replace the 28-year-old, if he is indeed absent on Sunday, but either one of Rodrigo Bentancur or summer signing Archie Gray are surely contenders to partner Pape Matar Sarr and James Maddison in midfield.

As Postecoglou ponders how best to set up his team for one of the most important games of their season, technical director Johan Lange, chairman Daniel Levy and the wider recruitment team will be continuing Tottenham's transfer planning for 2025 behind-the-scenes.

Tottenham could sign Jonathan David with offer of just around £100,000-per-week

Lille star Jonathan David, who is set to be a free agent next summer, is attracting interest from N17 - and for obvious reasons.

Only Kylian Mbappe scored more Ligue 1 goals than the Canadian last season, and David has been one of France's most prolific goalscorers these last few years. It is perhaps surprising that the 24-year-old hasn't sealed a Premier League move yet, but that time could be drawing near.

According to Tutto Juve, Tottenham are among the frontrunners to sign David from Lille, who can agree to join Spurs for nothing next summer on a pre-contract in January.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been handed an injury boost ahead of his side's all-important north London derby clash away to Tottenham this weekend.

Arteta dealt Arsenal selection headache with key players absent

Following the international break, Arsenal return to action imminently, with Arteta and the squad preparing to face-off against their fierce cross-city rivals on Sunday.

The manager will be very keen to get back to winning ways after agreeing to a new three year deal at the Emirates to extend his stay until 2027, but he faces mounting obstacles to overcome in his preparation for a tough trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Star midfielder Declan Rice is a confirmed absentee against Spurs through suspension, having controversially been sent off against Brighton for two bookable offences, with fellow midfielder and summer signing Mikel Merino also set to miss Tottenham as he is out for nearly two months with a shoulder injury.

Arsenal's shortage in that area means Arteta is reportedly planning to drop Kai Havertz back into midfield, with new arrival Raheem Sterling a candidate to play their false-nine role in the German's stead.

If absences for Merino and Rice weren't bad enough for the Gunners, defender Riccardo Calafiori is a real doubt for the North London Derby as well, after the centre-back sustained a calf injury during Italy's 3-1 UEFA Nations League win over France.

The most worrying injury blow, though, has come in the form of club captain Martin Odegaard. The Norway star was forced off in his country's 2-1 win over Austria on Monday, and needed medical staff to assist him in walking off the pitch as he couldn't bear weight on his ankle.

The 25-year-old has since returned to Arsenal, and was pictured boarding a plane to London on crutches. Reports in England have now shared that Odegaard is expected to be out for at least three weeks, dealing a hammer blow to Arteta as he gears up for crucial fixtures against Tottenham, Atalanta in the Champions League and Man City away.

Arteta handed Arsenal injury boost as Gabriel Jesus returns

Journalist John Cross, in a piece for The Mirror this week, has shared some much-needed good news out of London Colney - with £265,000-per-week striker Gabriel Jesus looking ready to be available for selection.

As per their information, Jesus could be set to return from injury for Arsenal against Tottenham, so Arteta will at least have the Brazil international to call upon in the wake of his many casualties this weekend.

The former Man City star has played just five Premier League minutes so far this season, which came during Arsenal's 2-0 opening weekend victory over Wolves, missing their last two top flight games with a groin injury.

Jesus' experience and quality will be a real asset for Arteta, as the head coach ponders how best to set up his team against Ange Postecoglou's Lilywhites.

It might not always feel like it for the fans, but Tottenham Hotspur are undeniably a club on the up.

The North Londoners have an exciting and progressive manager at the helm in Ange Postecoglou, an array of exciting young talents like Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and Mikey Moore in the squad, and to top it all off, have one of the best stadiums in the Premier League.

Moreover, only last season were the Lilywhites named the wealthiest club in London, and that, combined with Postecoglou's ambitions, can only lead to great things.

This concoction of favourable tailwinds should hopefully mean that, unlike in the past, Spurs could keep the next superstar player they develop instead of selling them off to the highest bidder. That said, one such player, whose value soared under former manager Mauricio Pochettino and beyond, was finally sold for a massive sum that, at the very least, could be reinvested.

Spurs' most prominent sales

So, while most big transfers involve attacking players moving from club to club, one of Spurs' biggest sales saw a full-back leave the club in Kyle Walker.

The England international joined the Lilywhites from Sheffield United in 2009, and after a few loan spells away from North London, the talented right-back would go on to make 229 appearances for the club before sealing a £50m move to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the summer of 2017, where he has since won everything there is to win in the game.

Moving slightly further up the pitch now to a star who wasn't sold for quite as much but has arguably gone on to have an even better career than Walker: Luka Modrić.

The Croatian icon joined the North Londoners from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer of 2008 for a fee of just £15m, and over the next four years, would make 160 appearances for the club, in which he'd score 17 goals and provide 24 assists and catch the eye of Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants secured the midfielder's services in August 2012 with a £30m offer, and while he famously struggled in his first year with Los Blancos, he has since etched his name into the club's history books and will retire as one of their greatest players of all time thanks to the ludicrous number of trophies he won there.

However, the former Zagreb ace wasn't the only player Spurs sold to Madrid in the early 2010s.

Welsh legend Gareth Bale made his move to the Spanish capital just a year later for a mammoth £85m fee thanks to his incredible displays in N17, where he had just ended the season with 26 goals and ten assists in 44 games.

So, from defence to attack, Tottenham have sold some incredible players over the years, but there is one more megastar the club have cashed in on in recent years.

The sale of Harry Kane

Yes, the final star in question is, of course, Harry Kane, who, after spending his entire career and part of his childhood with Tottenham, was finally sold to German behemoths Bayern Munich last summer for a fee reported to be around £86.4m at the time.

Now, while there have been more significant sales from other Premier League sides in the past, the fact that the England captain is an academy graduate of Spurs meant that his sale was entirely profit, which must have made accepting the Germans' offer that bit easier.

The Walthamstow-born marksman came to define an era for Tottenham fans, and while he was still banging in the goals after he left, the start of his career coincided with the arrival of Pochettino.

For example, according to Transfermarkt, the 31-year-old was valued at just €3m - £2.5m - two months after the Argentine was appointed as manager.

That means that the world-class number nine was sold for a fee 3356% higher than that valuation from August 2014, which, when looked at like that, is quite remarkable, although based on his output and ability, entirely justified.

In his 435 games for the club, he found the back of the net an extraordinary 280 times - which made him the club's outright top goalscorer - and provided 61 assists to boot, meaning he maintained an average of a goal involvement once every 1.27 games - talk about a one-season wonder.

Ultimately, while losing Kane last summer was far from ideal and a sad moment for Spurs fans everywhere, the club could at least get a hefty fee for him, and who knows, he could still come back for one last season in a few years.

Although last season may not have gone entirely according to plan, and this year hasn't exactly started perfectly either, you cannot deny that Tottenham Hotspur are now one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the Premier League.

The arrival of Ange Postecoglou last summer has completely transformed the way the team approaches matches. Instead of boring their fans to tears like they did at times under their three previous managers, they now attack with gusto at every opportunity.

Now, does this sometimes result in the other side scoring a goal? Yes, often. However, it's become crystal clear over the last year or so that the Australian will not be changing his ways just because a pundit who hasn't played for 30 years thinks he's being naive.

That said, for as talented as some of the Lilywhites' attackers are, they can sometimes be rather wasteful in front of goal. Of the players at the club last season, all but Son Heung-min were outperformed by a youngster sold by Daniel Levy and Co, whose valuation has since soared 166%.

Spurs' attackers in 23/24

So, let's start with Son Heung-min, who was Spurs' most effective attacker by quite some way last season.

Despite being constantly moved between the left-wing and centre-forward positions, the South Korean superstar still racked up a seriously impressive haul of 17 goals and ten assists in just 36 appearances, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 1.33 games.

Behind the captain, and by quite some way at that, we have Richarlison, who managed to somewhat make up for his dismal debut campaign with the club by scoring 12 goals - including a screamer against his old side - and providing four assists in 31 matches, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.93 games.

Just behind the Brazilian, we have a summer signing in Brennan Johnson, who joined the Lilywhites from Nottingham Forest for a hefty fee of around £47.5m.

The Welshman started the season slowly and, as a result, caught some flak from pundits and fans alike. However, he eventually got to grips with Postecoglou's system and ended the campaign with five goals and ten assists in 34 appearances, which equates to a reasonable average of a goal involvement every 2.26 games.

Now, while Johnson nor Richarlison were on a level comparable to Son, they both contributed to the North Londoners' attack reasonably well and could be set to take another step forward this year, but a former Spurs youngster sold just a couple of years ago is now back in the top-flight, and he comfortably outperformed the pair of them in 23/24.

Jack Clarke's 23/24

Yes, the player in question is Jack Clarke, who, after being signed by Tottenham for around £8.5m in 2019, spent the next few years on fairly mediocre loan spells with Leeds United, Queens Park Rangers, and Stoke City before spending six months with Sunderland in the latter half of the 21/22 season, who then snapped him up in July 2022.

Now, there is some confusion as to how much the Black Cats paid for the York-born dynamo, but it seems that he was sold for just £750k. However, the North Londoners did insert a hefty sell-on clause that would have netted them a not insignificant amount of money when Ipswich Town splashed an initial £15m on Clarke this summer.

The fee paid by the Tractor Boys means that the Englishman's value has shot up 1900% since Spurs sold him, and while that sounds like a lot, it's quite justified.

For example, in just 42 appearances last season, the "unplayable" ace, as dubbed by pundit Alan Clarke, scored 15 goals and provided four assists, meaning that he averaged a goal involvement every 2.21 games from left midfield and left wing, which would have made him the second most productive player at Spurs.

Now, the caveat here is that his level of opposition in the second tier is obviously inferior, but the difference isn't as significant as it once was, and while he might not have been able to produce the same numbers in the Premier League, the thought of him playing under Postecoglou is an exciting one.

Ultimately, considering the money they received from his move to Ipswich and the difficulty he had breaking into the first team, Spurs may well have made the correct decision when they sold him two years ago, but should he kick on in Norfolk this season, Levy could have some explaining to do.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has lavished praise on a "quality" player, who has performed well since sealing a move away from Tottenham in the summer.

Postecoglou and Lange lead summer window clearout at Tottenham

Spurs let a host of players leave in the summer window, as manager Ange Postecoglou and technical director Johan Lange moved to trim the squad of unwanted men who were deemed surplus-to-requirements.

Postecoglou gave the green light for his side to let 15 senior players leave on loan or permanently, with Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Alejo Veliz, Bryan Gil, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Rodon, Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp, Ashley Phillips and Dane Scarlett all departing N17 in the summer.

Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy has brought in a total of around £46 million through these exits, as the majority were free transfers or loan deals, but the club have freed up plenty of squad space and trimmed their wage bill in the process.

There is still a chance that the likes of Sergio Reguilion and Ben Davies could leave in the next two days as well, with the Turkish transfer window open until Friday. Super Lig champions Galatasaray have registered an interest in signing Davies from Spurs as their manager, Okan Buruk, plans to switch to a back three - according to reports.

Meanwhile, Reguilon has also attracted interest from Fenerbahce, where he would reunite with ex-Spurs boss Jose Mourinho. It's been an interesting and productive last few months in terms of player sales at Tottenham, with Manor Solomon being another one of the 15 players to leave north London.

The Israeli international, who joined Tottenham on a free from Shakhtar Donetsk last summer, spent the vast majority of last season sidelined - but his loan move to Leeds United has granted an opportunity for the winger to resurrect his career elsewhere.

Paul Robinson hails Manor Solomon after Tottenham exit

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Sky pundit and ex-Spurs keeper Robinson has lavished praise on Solomon after his Tottenham exit - stating that he's Leeds' best signing of the window, while also praising the 25-year-old's excellent start to life in the Championship.

“I think he’s the best signing of the window at Leeds. He’s a really clever signing – he’s a Premier League player. We saw him on loan with Fulham, which prompted Tottenham to buy him," said Robinson.

“He didn’t really get his opportunities at Spurs last year but he’s very well established at international level, playing over 35 games for Israel. Looking at his quality and directness, he’s someone who belongs in the Premier League.

“Leeds have lost Rutter, lost Summerville, lost Sinisterra last season. Alongside Gnonto, he’s the type of player who does give Leeds Premier League quality. He was a very shrewd signing, who can play anywhere across the attack, even as a false-nine if needed. I thought he was excellent against Hull City.”

Solomon bagged an assist on his first start for Leeds against Hull, and time will tell whether Spurs regret letting him depart for the rest of this season, as they seek to build upon last campaign's fifth-placed finish.

After defeat to Newcastle United last time out it's unlikely confidence will have been too high in the Tottenham camp.

Indeed, this has been a tricky opening to the new campaign for Spurs who lost at St James' Park almost a fortnight ago and have already drawn with newly-promoted Leicester.

They did, at least, put Everton to the sword. Silver linings and all that, eh?

So, if you had supporters name one team they didn't want to face early doors it was probably title contenders Arsenal. The Gunners are unbeaten but come into this weekend's contest without a number of key players.

Perhaps Ange Postecoglou's team could be in the running for a win, after all?

Team news ahead of Spurs vs Arsenal

Declan Rice has been ruled out of the game through that controversial sending-off against Brighton last time out. From an Arsenal perspective, the less said about that the better.

Either way, with Rice out and Mikel Merino also nursing a shoulder injury that he sustained in his first training session, it leaves a hole in Mikel Arteta's midfield.

That has been worsened by the news that Martin Odegaard could now miss the next three to four weeks of action after picking up a nasty-looking ankle injury in Norway's win over Austria on Monday evening. The Arsenal skipper twisted his ankle and had to be helped form the field.

That said, Postecoglou is also waiting with bated breath over the fitness of a few of his key men.

Micky van de Ven should be back after missing the defeat to Newcastle but the fitness of Dominic Solanke is still uncertain after he sat out the last two matches.

The latest news is that Yves Bissouma could also be absent for the derby after he was substituted in Mali's 1-0 win over Eswatini in midweek. He was forced to limp from the field following a heavy challenge.

Why Odegaard's injury is great news for Spurs

If you were a Tottenham player and you could pick three players to be out injured for a north London clash you would probably pick Bukayo Saka, Rice and Odegaard.

Well, they'll only be coming up against one of them in what is a colossal boost to their chances of claiming victory on Sunday afternoon.

Why? Well, both players are among the nominees for the 2024 Ballon d'Or award. That says it all, doesn't it?

To go more in-depth, Odegaard is the beating heart of this Arsenal team. His combination play with Saka down the right-hand side is one of the biggest reasons for their success over the last couple of years.

Last season, only two players in the whole top flight registered more assists than Odegaard (10). That's Cole Palmer (11) and Ollie Watkins (13). Meanwhile, only four players in the Premier League - Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes and Heung-min Son - created more chances over the course of 2023/24.

So, what does this mean for Spurs? It's good news as far as the club's leaky defence are concerned. Arsenal's frontline are likely to be provided with fewer opportunities to score from.

That's music to the ears of the robust Cristian Romero, a man who is usually all over a derby day game like this one.

Having made two errors against the Toon, charging away from his position to press Newcastle's more creative players, it lessens the likelihood of that eventuality occurring again.

Without Odegaard, it's anyone's guess at to what solution Arteta will identify. He could go with 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, a contest Romero would no doubt relish against a lightweight player.

It could also mean that Kai Havertz is forced to operate in a deeper position, thus occupying the Spurs defence - chiefly Romero - on a far less regular basis than he initially would have.

Truth be told, Tottenham have been gifted an ideal route to claiming all three points here. They must respond well to Arsenal's messy midfield situation.