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Both Arsenal and Tottenham have been hit with injury crises ahead of this Sunday’s North London Derby, with up to 20 players set to be sidelined for the Emirates Stadium clash. This fixture is usually among the fiercest in English football, and while dramatic moments have not failed to live up to expectations in recent seasons, this weekend’s 198th meeting between the two London sides could end up proving slightly anti-climactic.

The Gunners have no doubt made light work of derby day in recent seasons, having not lost to their biggest rivals since 2022 - winning five of the last six encounters and drawing the other 2-2. But with just three places and eight points separating the two sides in the Premier League after 11 games, there is hope that this could be the most hotly contested edition in recent memory.

Needless to say, however, the selection headaches for both Mikel Arteta and Thomas Frank mean Sunday afternoon’s titanic battle has become a whole lot more unpredictable. Astonishingly, Gabriel’s injury during Brazil’s mostly meaningless friendly with Senegal, which could see him miss up to two months, is just the tip of the iceberg in a series of setbacks that could take the sting out of the contest.

Up to 20 Players Unavailable For Arsenal vs Tottenham

Indeed, Gabriel is the biggest name out for Arteta, with the Brazilian defender’s aerial prowess being a major reason the Gunners have had so much success from set-pieces this season, scoring via their dead-ball superiority on 11 occasions. Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke also remain sidelined with injuries, with Kai Havertz' hopes of returning before the end of the year after picking up an ACL injury having been made more difficult after a relapse during his recovery.

Gabriel Martinelli is nearing a return, but Sunday may come too soon. Elsewhere, the extent of Viktor Gyokeres’ injury remains unknown, which could force his manager into shoehorning midfielder Mikel Merino into attack, as he had to do last season, while captain Martin Odegaard’s knee injury, his second setback of the season already, is expected to keep him out until December. See Arsenal's full injury list below:

Tottenham, however, have up to 13 players unavailable, showing that Arsenal may not be in the worst position after all. James Maddison is out for the season with an ACL injury, while Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, and Archie Gray have all been sidelined for most, if not all, of the 2025/26 campaign so far.

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo has been one of the Premier League's most impressive performers of the season so far, with several top flight giants interested in his signature ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

Reports emerged earlier this week that Semenyo's release clause is set at £65m by the Cherries, but is not valued for the full duration of the mid-season window, to allow Bournemouth to identify a potential replacement for the Ghanian international if he does make a big-money move in January.

As well as the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United, Tottenham are eyeing a January move for Semenyo, who has continued his impressive form from last season into the current campaign with six goals and three assists from the opening 11 top flight fixtures.

Given the lofty interest in 25-year-old Semenyo's signature, the aforementioned suitors may utilise a swap deal as a bargaining chip with Bournemouth.

Here, GIVEMESPORT runs through three Spurs players that could be included to help add the in-form forward to Thomas Frank's squad.

Three Players Tottenham Could Use in Semenyo Swap Deal with Bournemouth

Yves Bissouma

Mali international Yves Bissouma is currently on the sidelines at Spurs, and is yet to make an appearance yet this season, but is expected to return from injury later this month as he hopes to make an impression on Frank.

In his three years at Tottenham after arriving from Brighton, Bissouma has struggled to find a consistent run of form, and may find minutes hard to come by in the holding midfield role upon his return as a result of Joao Palhinha's presence.

Bournemouth are well stocked in central midfield with duo Tyler Adams and Alex Scott, but Bissouma could offer the South Coast outfit a potential succession plan if suitors come in for England international Scott in the summer.

On Bissouma's part, working under Andoni Iraolo at the Vitality Stadium could be the fresh start his dwindling career seemingly requires.

Manor Solomon

Manor Solomon shone away from Spurs last season on loan at Leeds United, notching ten goals and 12 assists in the Championship to help Daniel Farke's side return to the Premier League as second tier champions.

This term, the Israeli winger proved surplus to requirements once again for Tottenham with his loan switch to La Liga side Villareal, where he has managed just six appearances due to a back injury.

Before his knock, however, 26-year-old Solomon was in fine form once again, getting off the mark for the Spanish side in La Liga and managing a hat-trick of assists in the 6-0 Copa del Rey win over Ciudad Lucena.

With Semenyo potentially poised to depart, Spurs could use the former Shaktar Donetsk forward as a sweetener in the deal by cutting his Spanish stint short and offering him to the Cherries as an option to soften the blow of losing the £65m-rated forward.

Richarlison

Frank would undoubtedly be reluctant to part ways with his side's current top Premier League goalscorer, Richarlison, but it could prove to be the most sensible long-term option amid the aim to bring Semenyo to Spurs.

Brazilian Richarlison has four goals and two assists to his name already in the top flight this term, with the latest being his injury-time strike against the Red Devils, but his general performances have been far less than impressive than his output.

With ex-Bournemouth ace Dominic Solanke and PSG loanee Randal Kolo Muani set to return from injury, Richarlison may find minutes difficult to come by as the season progresses, and Frank's attack would be a far more dangerous proposition with Semenyo instead of the former Everton star.

Richarlison's compatriot Evanilson has managed just one goal in his nine Premier League outings so far, and the Cherries could therefore add some much-needed strength in depth to their centre-forward ranks by mitigating the seemingly impending exit of Semenyo with the 54-capped Brazilian international.

Domestic football is set to resume this weekend following the conclusion of the November international break, with Arsenal and Tottenham locking horns on Sunday. But, following Michael Oliver's appointment as the game's referee, a concerning statistic has come to light which has left Gunners supporters irate.

The North London derby has a reputation for being one of the biggest in British football and one of the most hotly contested matches on the calendar. With just four miles separating the two teams, game days can get incredibly tense as both sets of supporters seek bragging rights.

It's also given rise to some infamous moments in the English game, including when Arsene Wenger's 'Invincibles' wrapped up the Premier League in a 2-2 draw way back in 2004. Arsenal, often the victors in the tie, will be hoping to seal three points this time around and extend their lead at the division's summit.

Oliver's Disciplinary Record vs Arsenal Emerges

With so much on the line, it would not be a surprise to see tempers boil over during the match. And that has led to a concerning statistic about Oliver emerging following confirmation that he will be taking charge of an Arsenal match for the first time in 10 months.

The numbers demonstrate that he has shown cards to players in red and white more frequently than any other club. Oliver has taken charge of 55 games involving the Gunners — the only team he's been involved with more is Liverpool (60 games). Despite that, he's shown more yellow cards to Arsenal than any other team, with their players booked 97 times under his watch.

He has also shown more red cards to Arsenal than any other club in his career, the most recent of which came when he sent off Myles Lewis-Skelly against Wolverhampton Wanderers in January this year — the last time he refereed a game involving the north Londoners. Their tally of eight outstrips Tottenham by three, with the Lilywhites also shown fewer yellows than their rivals.

Arsenal Fans React to Oliver's Appointment

Although Oliver only ranks ninth among officials for yellow cards shown this season, despite taking charge of the joint-most games so far, Arsenal supporters are still far from happy about him being in charge of the upcoming derby. Some have cited his decision to send Lewis-Skelly off as a reason why he should not be taking charge of the game now.

One supporter wrote: "They have brought back Michael Oliver to referee a game involving Arsenal for the first time since last season when he sent off Lewis Skelly against Wolves. PGMOL we’re watching you."

Another shared the same feelings, stating that supporters in attendance had to prevent controversial decisions with outcry from the stands: "Michael Oliver will be in charge of Sunday's North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium. It will be the first Arsenal game he has taken charge of since he incorrectly sent off Myles Lewis-Skelly in the game at Wolves back in January.

"It’s at the Emirates. The Arsenal fans have a huge part to play on Sunday. Shout for every single decision. We cannot let Michael Oliver do us over again."

A final fan then said: "This is the first time Michael Oliver has officiated an Arsenal match since the bizarre Myles Lewis-Skelly red card against Wolves in January. I’m not one for a conspiracy theory because I think all of the English referees are useless apart from Sam Barrott.

"Oliver’s record whilst in charge of Arsenal is odd. The amount of red cards per foul is way higher than other teams, the made up rules for red cards (MLS vs. Wolves, Martinelli double yellow vs. Wolves, Trossard red vs. City, Kovacic escaping red at the Emirates and the list goes on…)."

What Jose Mourinho said to Troy Parrott during their time together at Tottenham looks very interesting now after the striker became Ireland’s hero in a dramatic, edge-of-your-seat 3-2 win over Hungary on Sunday afternoon. The AZ Alkmaar forward scored a hat-trick - capped by a 95th-minute tap-in - to help the Boys in Green qualify for the World Cup playoffs.

It was the latest in a run of impressive performances, and the 23-year-old is now being linked with a return to the Premier League just a year after leaving north London. Seven goal involvements in the Eredivisie marked the start of a major turnaround for the Irishman, and his heroics for his country have sent his reputation soaring. Watch his winning goal below:

Still young, Parrott is stitching together a redemption arc at exactly the right moment, but his luck in front of goal hasn’t always looked this good. He played only four times for Tottenham, failed to score, and spent most of his five-year stint out on loan. But a conversation with Mourinho - though brief - might just have been the making of him.

What Mourinho Said To Troy Parrott at Tottenham

Parrott also scored both goals as the Boys in Green stunned Portugal 2-0 on Thursday in his hometown of Dublin, in a week that probably couldn't have been any more perfect for him and his teammates.

But while having initially drawn comparisons to Robbie Keane early into his Tottenham career, it never worked out in north London for the highly-rated youngster, with Mourinho having some choice words for him in March 2020 when Parrott was Tottenham's only fit striker.

He told him to stop thinking that he was 'too good' to still be playing for their under-23s when he'd been training with the first-team all season. As per the Mirror, he said:

"I told him before the [youth team] game: 'Every time you play with the kids of your age, you have to show your colleagues why you are the privileged one' because it was something he was not doing.

"Every time he was playing with the kids, he was playing with the mentality of, 'I shouldn't be here' or, 'I am too good to be here'. I had exactly the same words with Scott McTominay [at Manchester United]."

The now-Benfica manager continued: "He was not loved in his age group because he was not there with the right frame of mind. The moment we started changing that lots of things started changing for him. Troy cannot go there [the underage teams] with discontent, contempt.

"It is a process. So everything goes very, very well. But this is a world where lots of people don't even know if Troy has long hair or short hair, or is blond or is dark. They don't even know that, and they speak about Troy, Troy, Troy. There was a guy behind me on the bench the other day: 'Play Troy, play Troy'. I don't think he knows Troy."

Parrott now plays with the humility of a seasoned striker, and his stock this season is only going to keep rising. While he once had the talk of a young forward who knew he was good, he now has the walk - and the swagger - to back it up. Nobody will ever know exactly how much of his turnaround can be attributed to Mourinho, but he has certainly framed his mindset differently since leaving Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur inserted a 20% sell-on clause into the deal when they sold Republic of Ireland hero Troy Parrott to AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2024.

The striker has become the talk of European football in recent days after he followed up a brace in Ireland's 2-0 win against Portugal with a stunning hat-trick - including a last-gasp winner - in the 3-2 victory against Hungary on Sunday evening.

It completed a remarkable turnaround for his nation as their third successive win catapulted them into a playoff for the 2026 World Cup, a scenario which seemed impossible just a few weeks ago.

Tottenham Inserted Sell-on Clause into Parrott Exit Deal

Parrott was once tipped as the next Harry Kane at Tottenham, but after five loan spells away and a lack of first-team minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs finally decided to cash in on the striker in 2024.

The north London outfit sold Parrott for £6.7m and, according to Football London, they inserted a 20% sell-on clause ahead of any potential future transfer for the 23-year-old.

That move could be on the cards sooner rather than later following his exploits at international level for Ireland, coupled with his prolific form in front of goal for AZ.

Despite some injury issues this season, Parrott has 13 goals in 14 matches for the Dutch outfit in all competitions, having scored 20 in 47 last term.

£6.7m is beginning to look like a bit of a bargain with Everton among the Premier League clubs already being linked with a move for the Irishman.

Tottenham Made Parrott Buyback Deal Decision

Away from the sell-on clause, Tottenham fans may be wondering whether they have a buyback option for Parrott too.

According to the same Football London report, Spurs don't have a buyback clause in the deal.

They do add however that because he is a homegrown player and with the 20% sell-on clause, they do have the ability to re-sign Parrott on a cut-price deal in the future should the opportunity arise.

Tottenham are - unsurprisingly - yet to find another Kane for their frontline with Dominic Solanke, Richarlison and the on-loan Randal Kolo Muani currently carrying the mantle in the centre-forward position.

If Parrott continues scoring at the rate that he is right now, he could also come back onto Spurs' radar in future transfer windows.

Ahead of the first North London derby of the 2025/26 campaign, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are waiting nervously to learn the full extent of Gabriel Magalhaes' injury, which was picked up on international duty as Brazil beat Senegal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium. Which Gunners fixtures the 27-year-old could miss have now been revealed.

In action for Carlo Ancelotti's side, Gabriel – widely regarded as one of the best defenders in world football – was substituted in the second half after picking up a muscle injury. "Bad? I don’t know, he [Gabriel] had a problem on his adductor the medical staff have to check tomorrow," Ancelotti said after the win in London.

"We are really sorry for this, really disappointed, when players have an injury I hope they can recover well and soon," he concluded. With Arteta's men four points adrift at the top of the Premier League table, losing such a vital aspect of their winning formula in Gabriel could be detrimental to their pursuit of English top flight glory.

After finishing second in back-to-back-to-back Premier League campaigns, Arsenal are running the risk of becoming the division's nearlymen. Thus far in 2025/26, however, they have won eight of their 11 matches – and have picked up 26 points, which is four more than the nearest challengers in Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

Latest on Gabriel Injury: Which Arsenal Matches Could He Miss?

But how long could they be without Gabriel and which games could the Brazil international miss as a result of pulling up on home soil? An injury expert – named Physio Scout on X (formerly Twitter) – has suggested that he could be out of action for between 1–3 weeks and 3–6 weeks, which is entirely dependent on its severity.

"With groins and hamstrings, injuries closer to the hip (proximal) are generally more concerning than those further down the muscle. MOST groin problems end up being minor, with players back in 1–3 weeks, but the fact that he’s feeling it higher up makes me more cautious here and raises the risk of a Grade 2+ injury."

Next up is a fierce encounter with Tottenham Hotspur, whose form under Thomas Frank has been largely criticised by their fans – and should Gabriel miss more than one week of action, he'll be unavailable as his side host their rivals on November 23.

Should the results of his scan come back, and his injury is more severe than first thought, thus ruling him out for two weeks, Arsenal will be without his defensive solidity for their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on November 26 as well as when they visit Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea four days later in the league.

With Arteta's men still fighting on all fronts, the fixtures continue to come thick and fast and the Spanish tactician will be hoping to have Gabriel back in the midst of things as soon as physically possible. Say the 27-year-old is handed a three-week absence from action, he will also miss his side's Premier League double-header against Brentford and Aston Villa.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Gabriel Magalhaes has now scored 18 Premier League goals for Arsenal, at least six more than any other defender since he made his debut in the competition in September 2020.

Should his injury be very serious and being sidelined for four weeks is in the offing, Gabriel – who has not missed a minute of Premier League action this term – could also be absent for Arsenal's Champions League away trip to Club Brugge on December 10. Three days later and they play Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Seeing Gabriel return as soon as would be welcomed with open arms by the Emirates Stadium faithful, but there is also a chance, albeit a very slim one, that he could miss out on a very busy festive period for the north Londoners: Everton (December 20), Brighton & Hove Albion (December 27) and Villa (December 27).

The small matter of hosting Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace – the reigning champions of the FA Cup – in the League Cup just before Christmas, while 2026 kicks off with a trip down south to face Bournemouth before returning to north London five days later to face Liverpool on January 8, 2026.

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal have been handed a fresh blow ahead of the first North London derby of the campaign as Riccardo Calafiori has been withdrawn from the Italian national team, it has been reported. The left-sided defender entered the November international break with a hip injury and fears continue to grow.

Rome-born Calafiori, signed from Bologna in the summer of 2024, has been a mainstay at left-back for the Spanish boss since the start of the campaign in August – and, with doubts over his potential involvement against Tottenham Hotspur, Arteta may be forced to return to the drawing board.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: In September 2024, Riccardo Calafiori became the first-ever Italian to score in the Manchester City – Arsenal fixture in history.

The defender, 23, has been managed carefully throughout the week at Milanello with Gennaro Gattuso's Italian national team, with him being kept away from full sessions for five full days in the hopes of avoiding any further damage, but Calafiori's hip problem is still not cleared, and he's not returning to his club prematurely.

Calafiori Returns to Arsenal as Doubts Over NLD Derby Arise

With the Gunners – who have finished second in back-to-back-to-back Premier League campaigns – top of the table and looking to retain their spot between now and the end of the season, Arteta and Co will be hoping to remain as unscathed as possible ahead of their impending, all-intense meeting with Spurs. But Calafiori may not be available.

According to Fabrizio Romano, who took to X (formerly Twitter), Calafiori has returned to north London to continue his rehabilitation ahead of their home fixture against their arch-rivals on Sunday 23 November. He wrote:

"Riccardo Calafiori has left Italy camp today and returns to London to be assessed by Arsenal staff. “He tried to be available but he can’t force now”, says Italy coach Gattuso. AFC staff informed + not anticipating a big problem or issue."

For Italy, the ex-AS Roma and Genoa ace missed their recent 2-0 win over Moldova and that will be the same for Gattuso and Co as they face table-topping Norway in their decisive World Cup qualifier at San Siro.

During his first year on English soil, Calafiori had to overcome his fair share of injury struggles as he missed 24 of Arsenal's 58 matchday squads in the 2024/25 campaign. He's suffered four knee problems, a troubling muscle injury and a calf issue since moving to Arsenal after an eye-catching Euro 2024 for Italy.

As things stand, the defender's sustained periods queuing for the treatment table have been parked this season, and he's featured in all 17 of his Premier League employers' matchday squads so far. In that period, he's started 12 of those matches – just four shy of what he achieved in the entirety of last term.

A player who could come in and replace the versatile Italian is youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly, who will be keen to get some senior minutes under his belt ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Widely regarded as one of the best teenagers in world football, Arsenal's 19-year-old sensation is more than a capable replacement.

Looking beyond their test against Thomas Frank's Spurs, the fixtures continue to come thick and fast for Arsenal. The Emirates Stadium plays host to their Champions League league phase affair with Bayern Munich on November 26 before they travel to the west of the capital to face Enzo Maresca and Chelsea.

Tottenham are among a host of Premier League clubs monitoring Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo ahead of the January transfer window, Sky Sports News has revealed.

The North London side, along with Liverpool and Manchester City, are claimed to be keen on the Ghanaian forward, who only signed a new contract with Bournemouth this summer.

Reports claim bids for Semenyo ‘cannot be ruled out’ when the transfer window reopens at the turn of the year, although the 25-year-old has so far shown no signs of wanting to depart the Dorset coast.

Tottenham are reportedly looking to sign another forward in January who can play on the left and complement the current attacking options in Thomas Frank’s injury-hit squad.

Semenyo was linked with a move to North London this summer before committing his future to the Cherries by signing a new long-term deal running until the summer of 2030.

Tottenham Keeping Tabs on Antoine Semenyo

According to Sky Sports News, Semenyo has impressed other teams with his consistent Premier League displays this term, with the 25-year-old forward netting six times in 11 appearances.

Only Manchester City star Erling Haaland (11) and Brentford’s Igor Thiago (8) have scored more this term, while Semenyo also ranks joint-fourth in assists with three.

The 'world-class' Ghanaian forward has carried his impressive form from the 2024/25 campaign, when he scored 11 goals and provided six assists.

Semenyo has remained largely injury-free since his first full season with the Cherries in 2023/24, missing only four Premier League games since then.

Spurs, meanwhile, have struggled to field a full-strength squad this term, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma and Radu Dragusin yet to return from injuries.

Dominic Solanke also remains sidelined after an ankle injury in August, while Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus, Cristian Romero and Randal Kolo Muani have also dealt with recent setbacks.

Tottenham endured a mixed start to the season under Frank, winning just five of their first 11 league games, including only one victory in the last four.

The Lilywhites sit fifth in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, ahead of the North London derby at the Emirates next Saturday.

Harvey Elliott finds himself in something of a quandary.

The talented young midfielder was a bit-part player for Liverpool and it was understandable that he would look for a move elsewhere in the summer transfer window.

Elliott was the star of the show at the UEFA U21 European Championships, scoring five goals as England lifted the trophy.

It seemed as if the footballing world was his oyster, but he had no desire, really, to leave Liverpool.

“Look, if I had it my way, I'd be here for the rest of my career, it's as simple as that, I love everything about the club,” he said in the summer. "But at the same time I kind of need to be selfish with myself and see what's best for me. I have big ambitions. I want to go to the World Cup. I want to keep being successful as a player.

So when Aston Villa came calling, he somewhat reluctantly made the move on loan for the season.

That loan move included an obligation to buy at the end of the season for around £30million, on the condition that he played ten matches. There is no guarantee of that, though, with the midfielder on five appearances so far, having not even made the matchday squad in any of the last three Premier League games.

Good decision?

​​​​​​​

Did he make the wrong choice, or will his time come?

Villa boss Unai Emery wanted Lucas Paqueta or Marco Asensio permanently in the summer, but got neither, with Elliott the option instead.

A hugely talented player, a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup 2026 squad looks way out of reach right now, with the former Liverpool player watching his U21 teammate Alex Scott move ahead of him in the pecking order, after some impressive displays for Bournemouth.

Elliott already had plenty of competition for a coveted spot in the squad, and his time at Villa will only have made things even harder.

There is no way out this season. The 22-year-old played for Liverpool, getting the last six minutes of injury-time in the 3-2 win over Newcastle before securing that transfer to Villa.

Premier League rules state that no player can play for more than three clubs in the competition in any one season, so if he wants to go and play elsewhere it will have to be abroad, and would rely on Liverpool and Villa coming up with some kind of deal to break the loan and obligation to buy.

There were other options for Elliott in the summer, although perhaps nothing concrete enough to change his mind. Hindsight is a wonderful thing though and Tottenham might well have been a better move for the midfielder.

​​​​​​​Spurs move

Spurs were linked with a number of attacking players in the summer, with well-publicised moves for Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze falling through, before Thomas Frank finally got an attacking midfield signing through the door in the shape of Xavi Simons.

Simons’ signing was seen as something of a coup for Spurs, with Chelsea heavily linked with a move for the RB Leipzig star, and there is plenty of expectation that he will be a fine signing. He has yet to pull up trees, however, with the diminutive star needing time to adapt to the pressures and physicality of the Premier League.

With long-term injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, creative signings were required, but ignoring Mohammed Kudus’ deal as a wide forward, Simons was the only central attacking signing that Tottenham made.

And that, in hindsight - and at the time - looks to have been a mistake, given Simons’ early struggles.

Elliott, with strong experience in the Premier League already, would have been a ready-made replacement and was fleetingly linked with a move to N17 as one of the options to fill the No.10 void. His ability to slot in as a ten, or even as an eight, would have been a real asset to Frank and Spurs. He would almost certainly have got more game-time in north London than he has in Birmingham and would have added to Tottenham’s homegrown roster, albeit not their club-trained quota for the Champions League.

​​​​​​​Klopp regret

In 2024, just departed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp opened up on "regretting" not using Elliott more. He said: "If I regret one thing a little bit, it's that Harvey didn't play often enough, maybe. Because in a very important, intense period - January, with a lot of injuries – he played really well.

"He was probably our best player - right wing, right midfield, all these kinds of things. Then everybody came back, and he had minutes here, minutes there, and he didn't start anymore."

That versatility would certainly have come in handy for Frank at Spurs and he would have been the type of signing - alongside Simons - that the supporters could have taken to. Signing Elliott and only Elliott may have tipped some over the edge.

Spurs have already shown - this season and last - that they do not have the squad depth to cope with injuries that the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal do. A player of Elliott's calibre would certainly have come in handy and his performances for the U21s in the summer suggest he deserves better.

Tottenham certainly need better. Frank's side are second bottom in the Premier League for shot-creating actions this season, with just 16.82 per 90 minutes. Only Burnley produce fewer. The Lilywhites also have fewer shots per game than all but two of the other teams in the top flight - Wolves and Burnley - with 9.73 per game as per fbref.com. Elliott would surely have helped with that, given his position in the team and ability to break the lines.

Elliott must now wait until the summer to reboot his career, though, or hope that he can impress upon Emery in the second half of the campaign and kickstart his Villa career.

For Tottenham Hotspur, finding ways to keep growing revenues to keep pace with the other five members of the so-called ‘big six’ has been an ongoing challenge.

The move from White Hart Lane to the world-class Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019 was transformational to the club’s revenue streams once the impact of the pandemic and empty stadiums was navigated.

Matchday revenues grew from £45m for the last season at White Hart Lane in 2016/17, to £106m for the most recent set of accounts for 2023/24. For the previous campaign, with additional home games, a high watermark of £118m was seen. Commercial revenue also grew significantly, rising from £76m in 2017 to £255m for 2024, an increase of 236 per cent over the seven years.

Much of that growth was seen from moving into their 62,850-seater home. The club, then under the stewardship of former executive chairman Daniel Levy, struck major contracts with the NFL to host two regular season games per year, as well as leveraging the location and transport links for the venue to deliver major music artists for concerts, such as multiple nights performed across two tours by Beyonce, as well as showpiece sporting events away from football.

Through the entire journey from White Hart Lane to their new home, Tottenham have had a consistent and prominent front-of-shirt partner in global insurance giant AIA, who first partnered with the club for the start of the 2014/15 season when they took over from computer firm HP.

This past week it was announced that AIA, while packaged as the firm ‘extending’ their deal as a partner of the football club, would actually be exiting as the club’s main front-of-shirt partner from the end of the 2026/27 season, instead downgrading the level of the deal, which had been worth around £40m per season, to become the club’s official training kit partner. AIA will continue to have visibility around the stadium via LED advertising boards.

For Spurs, the work has already started with regards to what comes next, with sources telling GIVEMESPORT that the club’s commercial team have already started receiving expressions of interest and sounding out multiple potential interested parties across a variety of sectors to ensure that they have a rounded view of what they can reasonably expect to receive for the next deal, which will undoubtedly be a club-record sum for the most valuable piece of sponsorship inventory that the football club has away from stadium naming rights, something which has been an unresolved issue for Tottenham for the past six years.

Having had plenty of interest from big business when it came to the naming rights, Levy opted against entering into an agreement, and with some good reason. No brand had been willing to match what Spurs had wanted for the rights, and given that these deals are often struck on a long-term basis of 10 years or more, by using the American market as an example, there wasn’t the appetite to be tied for something long-term if the valuation hadn’t been met.

The first set of naming rights for new stadiums are the most important. It is where familiarisation starts and where fans become connected with the brand and the name, something that can often last beyond the deal itself.

Levy also saw value in the stadium being known as Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, especially given that it had international exposure via the NFL games being played at the arena. The view was that in having the name above the door for concerts and other non-football events, it gave the club significant brand exposure.

But what might this have to do with the front-of-shirt naming rights for Spurs from 2027, and how might it allow them to maximise the opportunity that they have to further close the revenue gap that exists between themselves and the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City?

Spurs Have Chance to Reshape Commercial Landscape

The departure of AIA presents Tottenham with a rare strategic opportunity to reshape their commercial landscape from 2027 onwards. For prospective partners, the club can offer a powerful dual proposition: alignment across both the front-of-shirt sponsorship and stadium naming rights.

This convergence unlocks exceptional brand visibility and long-term value, allowing sponsors to embed themselves into the very identity of the club. It’s a model that has delivered outsized impact for Etihad Airways at Manchester City and Spotify at FC Barcelona - where unified deals have elevated brand presence far beyond traditional sponsorship. Spurs now stand poised to offer something similarly transformative.

Manchester City’s deal with Etihad Airways is reportedly worth up to £1bn over its full term, with annual values estimated around £60m to £65m. Barcelona’s Spotify partnership, signed in 2022, includes shirt sponsorship for both the men’s and women’s teams, training kit, and stadium naming rights, and is valued at €280m over four years—roughly €70m per season.

The Barca deal was struck during a period of economic turmoil for the club coming out of the pandemic, one that meant the leverage that they should have had just wasn’t there. The value was also impacted by the fact that Barca didn’t have strong data on their own fans, something that is now extraordinarily valuable to would-be partners, especially those selling a subscription service like Spotify do.

For Tottenham, conservative benchmarking would suggest £45m to £50m per year based on the value of the last AIA deal, which was last extended back in 2019, the same year the north Londoners moved into their current home.

According to industry publication ‘The Sponsor’, who assessed fair market value of front-of-shirt deals earlier this year, Spurs’ deal was undervalued to the tune of £9.1m, meaning that they felt it could have been closer to the £50m mark, which is where Liverpool’s deal with Standard Chartered sat after their 2022 renewal. According to the same analysis, only Tottenham and Liverpool had deals that were undervalued for 2025, with the rest overvalued, in the case of Manchester United by as much as £9m.

Given what has been achieved in the market by Manchester United and Liverpool over the last five years, there is a likelihood that even just a front-of-shirt deal could be worth £60m to £70m and achieved if the right partner was found for the long-term, and that could rise still if stadium rights were also part of the package.

Spurs’ London location, world-class stadium, and growing international profile offer strong leverage going to market, but they will also need to improve from a competitive aspect, with major brands wanting to have Champions League exposure on a regular basis.