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A Tottenham centre-back has been paired with an Arsenal man in WhoScored’s Team of the Season so far across the top five leagues in Europe.

There has been plenty of debate on social media about how Tottenham’s centre-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven compares with Arsenal’s formidable duo, William Saliba and Gabriel.

Former Tottenham midfielder Sando believes that Spurs have the best centre-back pairing in the Premier League, which is not a statement that will go down well with Arsenal fans.

Interestingly, WhoScored’s Team of the Season has one Arsenal man and one Spurs man as their central defensive pairing, but it is not either Romero or Van de Ven.

Tottenham youngster Luka Vuskovic makes Team of the Season

WhoScored have announced their Team of the Season so far across the top five leagues in Europe based on their performance metrics.

Spurs youngster Luka Vuskovic, who is having an outstanding loan spell at Hamburg, makes the cut with an average match rating of 7.38.

The Croat has an even better average match rating than Gabriel, who is the other centre-back in the team, and the only Premier League player in the eleven.

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Unsurprisingly, Tottenham legend Harry Kane makes the eleven with an average match performance rating of 8.33, which is the highest out of all the players selected.

Spurs are weighing up Vuskovic’s next step

Vuskovic has won two back-to-back Bundesliga Rookie of the Month awards since moving to Hamburg, with the centre-back surprising everyone with how well he is doing in the German top-flight.

It was reported a few days ago that Tottenham’s scouts are closely monitoring Vuskovic’s progress at Hamburg as they weigh up the 18-year-old’s next steps.

Going by the centre-back’s meteoric rise over the last two years, many Spurs fans will feel he is ready to challenge for a first-team spot at N17 next season.

David Ornstein has provided a big update on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo.

It was Ornstein who first broke the news at the start of this week that Semenyo has a £65m release clause in his contract.

According to reports, the news of Semenyo’s release clause has alerted Tottenham, who are ready to move for him in January after initially planning to pursue him next summer.

However, it has been claimed by a number of sources over the last few days that Liverpool are expected to offer stiff competition to Spurs for the 25-year-old.

Tottenham are one of three clubs interested in Antoine Semenyo

Ornstein has now confirmed that Thomas Frank’s men are one of the sides vying to land the Ghana international during the January window.

The journalist revealed that, alongside Liverpool, Man City are also plotting a move for the Bournemouth man, with one of those three clubs looking likely to snap up the winger in the upcoming transfer window.

Ornstein said on The Athletic FC podcast about the race for Semenyo: “It sounds like Liverpool have a firm interest… but we don’t know because there will be others contending as well. Man City are credited with an interest. Tottenham [too].

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“For the time being, from the many conversations I’ve had, those seem to be the three teams genuinely in the frame… the industry is telling us so far that if there is to be a move, it’s sounding more like a Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham direction of travel, subject to change.”

What can Spurs do to beat Man City and Liverpool to Semenyo?

There is no doubt that Tottenham have their work cut out to land the Cherries star, with the Etihad Stadium and Anfield undoubtedly being more attractive destinations.

Thomas Frank and Spurs can perhaps try to convince Semenyo that he will be the main man at N17, and the team would be built around him.

Paul Merson has predicted that Sunday’s clash between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will not play out like North London derbies usually do.

With the international break done and dusted, the tension has now started building ahead of Tottenham’s trip to the Emirates.

Opta’s Supercomputer has predicted that Arsenal are overwhelming favourites to beat Spurs, and not a lot of Tottenham supporters would disagree, given their team’s performances of late.

However, despite their ongoing struggles at home, Thomas Frank’s men have managed to win four and draw one of their five away matches this season, including a 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Paul Merson expects a cagey affair between Tottenham and Arsenal

Merson pointed out that, unlike the end-to-end, entertaining games we have seen when these two sides have locked horns historically, it will be an extremely cagey contest on Sunday.

He suggested that Tottenham may post a challenge to Arsenal, given their exploits away from home, but he backed Mikel Arteta’s men to edge out their opponents.

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Merson told Sportskeeda about the North London derby: “This is the game! When I used to play for Arsenal, I used to ring my dad up and tell him when we’re playing Tottenham as soon as the fixtures were out. I know Liverpool and Manchester City are bigger opponents for Arsenal in the title race, but for the fans, this is the biggest game!

“Tottenham are top of the league table if you only consider form away from home. When Spurs are not the favourites and they sit back, absorb pressure and hit you on the break, they are a tricky team to face.

“If Arsenal were playing away from home, I would have given Tottenham no chance! Mikel Arteta also has to deal with injuries to some key players, so I don’t think this game is a straightforward win for Arsenal. Will Viktor Gyokeres be fit? Can Leandro Trossard make an impact like he did in the last game? There are so many questions to be answered.

“Arsenal vs Tottenham has always been one of the most entertaining matches in the Premier League. But I don’t think that will be the case here. I’m expecting a tight, cagey affair with Arsenal coming out on top in the end. Prediction: Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur.”

Ex-Spurs stars do not think Tottenham stand a chance against Arsenal

Interestingly, Merson has given Tottenham more of a chance than the pundits who are associated with the Lilywhites.

Jermaine Jenas believes that Arsenal will simply be too strong for Spurs, given how Frank’s men have been playing of late.

Thomas Frank has now provided an injury update on the fitness of three of his defenders, ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s north London derby game.

Tottenham Hotspur are back in Premier League action this weekend after a two-week pause because of the international break.

The majority of Thomas Frank’s men have returned fit, with the Spurs boss providing a positive injury update following the stop in club football.

This is a significant boost for Tottenham, who play Arsenal on Sunday in the Premier League, before facing PSG in midweek in the Champions League.

Not only did players return from the international break without serious injuries, but several other injured stars are also edging closer to full fitness.

Thomas Frank spoke about Dragusin, Kota Takai and Ben Davies’ progress and revealed how close they are to being part of the squad.

Speaking to Football.London, he said: “Yeah, Radu very happy and he is a couple of weeks full training all in, everything and played first 45 minutes in nine months last Wednesday.

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“Trained fully today, now he is getting very close to be selected and now it is a matter of performance and a few more game minutes to be fully available. Ben and Kota both trained today. Archie trained with the team as well.”

Radu Dragusin played a good 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors match with Leyton Orient, his first minutes after over eight months sidelined because of an ACL problem.

Spurs injuries remain a concern for Thomas Frank

While a few players are edging closer to full fitness, a couple of others remain sidelined and are unavailable to Frank.

Dejan Kulusevski, while expected to return sometime this year, remains out of contention and will not be available to Frank in the coming weeks.

Tottenham Hotspur are gearing up for the first north London derby of the season, yet Thomas Frank heads into the clash with several fitness concerns that could shape his squad for the trip across the capital.

Thomas Frank will be hoping to get the better of Arsenal on Sunday evening in what is set to be the first north London derby of the season.

Spurs have not managed a victory in their last six encounters against the Gunners, while Frank has just the one win in his last nine games against Mikel Arteta’s side.

For Tottenham fans, however, a win over their fiercest rivals is what will matter most, especially on Arsenal’s home ground, a venue they have failed to win at in the last ten meetings.

Tottenham injury news as Thomas Frank assesses squad

Thomas Frank will need his squad in the best of shape for this trip, but he has to contend with several injuries still.

Coming into this clash, Spurs are set to be without a handful of first-team players. James Maddison remains sidelined as he continues to recover from his ACL injury.

Dejan Kulusevski could return sometime before the year ends, but this derby encounter is a little too soon for the Swede.

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Frank had hinted at a potential Dominic Solanke return after the international break, however, the trip to Arsenal still comes too soon for the striker.

Randal Kolo Muani is available despite having picked up a jaw injury against United, while Archie Gray, Kota Takai and Ben Davies are also sideline, but have returned to training.

Lucas Bergvall withdrew from the Swedish national team because of his head injury, while Pape Matar Sarr is another to have picked up a knock while away from north London, however, the midfield pair are available for selection.

Frank has now provided an update on the injury situation of his club. Speaking to Football.London, he said: “They are good. Most of them. Pape trained today and is ready and available, Lucas also trained today and is available. Kolo Muani, trained today, available with a mask of course.

“Dom is not ready yet. I think he also had an article recently about where he said the same, that we want to be sure that he’s ready. I’m confident it will be soon.”

The Daily Mail’s Matt Barlow believes that Tottenham Hotspur are more likely to sign a 25-year-old centre-forward in January than Ivan Toney.

It has been reported over recent weeks that Tottenham are considering a potential January loan move for Ivan Toney.

This is because signing the England international on a temporary deal would allow him to avoid a big tax bill, which he will be hit with if his lucrative Saudi contract is terminated early.

However, other sources over recent days have suggested that Toney is not expected to leave Al-Ahli in January, with a return to the Premier League only on the cards next summer for the 29-year-old.

Dusan Vlahovic deemed a more likely signing for Tottenham

Tottenham have been mentioned as Dusan Vlahovic’s most likely destination in January by several Italian outlets.

However, it has been suggested more recently that Vlahovic is more likely to remain at Juventus following the appointment of Luciano Spalletti.

While Barlow also confirms that the Bianconeri’s stance on the Serbian has changed since the change of manager, he suggested that the former Fiorentina man is still a more likely signing for Spurs than Toney.

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Barlow said in a Q&A on The Daily Mail: “Right now, the priority (for Tottenham) appears to be at centre forward, but Spurs need one from the very top bracket to improve the team and not another from the next level down to clutter what they already have.

“When January comes around, it may be that Dominic Solanke is fit and in form, and the issue feels like something that can wait until the summer.

The Paratici factor makes me think they will at the very least, check out what’s happening with Dusan Vlahovic, whose contract at Juventus expires in June. His situation has changed slightly since Luciano Spalletti replaced Igor Tudor as boss.

“Spalletti says he wants to keep Vlahovic and would like him to sign a new deal, but the 25-year-old Serb is on big wages worth £10million a year after tax, and a free transfer in the summer would be hugely lucrative for him.

“If Spurs can afford to pay him what he is asking for, then this deal, either in January or in the summer, feels at this stage a more viable option than Ivan Toney, who has been subject to a lot of speculation because of his links to Thomas Frank.”

Other sources disagree with Matt Barlow on Spurs’ priority in January

While The Mail reporter suggests here that a number nine is Thomas Frank’s top priority in January, other outlets have reported something different.

It has been claimed by a few sources that Tottenham are set to prioritise signing a wide-forward over a striker in January.

Sweden boss Graham Potter has provided an update on Dejan Kulusevski’s rehabilitation and a possible return date for the Tottenham winger.

Thomas Frank and his coaching staff are still waiting to get their first look at Kulusevski in the training ground, with the 25-year-old having not kicked a ball since the start of May due to a knee injury.

The Spurs boss will be keen to have the Swede on the pitch as soon as possible, given Tottenham’s continued creative woes this season.

At the start of the international break, Kulusevski was seen in warm-weather training in Dubai alongside Destiny Udogie, and the former Juventus man appeared to be moving well.

Potter, who took over as Sweden boss just last month, has now provided a positive update on the Spurs attacker.

While the former West Ham boss admitted that Tottenham will ultimately decide the player’s timeline, he revealed that he expects the 25-year-old back by Christmas or the New Year.

Potter told Fotboll Skanalen: “Dejan is taking steps forward. He was happy with where he is in his rehabilitation. It’s in Tottenham’s hands, and his. But he was feeling good when I last spoke to him and I look forward to seeing him maybe at Christmas or around New Year.

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“There is a lot of football to be played until then. Nobody knows for sure what it will look like in March. That is the reality. But he is in a good place, and he was happy with his rehabilitation last time we spoke.

“Then he was ready to take the next step (in rehabilitation). But there is no stress involved. He will do his rehab in a good way and if he does that, I am pretty sure we will see him on the pitch soon.”

Another key Spurs star is edging closer to a return

Thomas Frank will also soon be boosted by the return of Dominic Solanke, who has stepped up his recovery after having ankle surgery in September.

Solanke has refused to give a specific timeline for his return, but admitted that he expects to be back on the pitch ‘soon’.

Chris Sutton has made his prediction for Tottenham Hotspur’s visit to the Emirates Stadium and he anticipates a three-goal game.

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action on Sunday and are tasked with taking on Arsenal. The Gunners have only suffered one defeat this season and that came at Anfield against a Liverpool side who were in winning form at the time.

Their home record is the second best in the league, but Spurs have the strongest away form, making this weekend’s big fixture an interesting match-up.

The parallels continue as Tottenham dropped points before the international break, conceding a late goal to draw 2-2 with Manchester United.

Likewise, Arsenal conceded a stoppage time goal to draw 2-2 with Sunderland, in the first match where Mikel Arteta’s team failed to secure a victory since September.

Chris Sutton makes horrific Tottenham prediction

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton has made his weekly predictions on BBC Sport and he has no optimism at all for Spurs.

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Sutton has cited Tottenham’s attack as an area of concern, but based on his prediction, it seems he has reservations about their defence too.

He said: “Tottenham have got the best away record in the Premier League, with four wins and one draw so far, but this is their biggest test yet.

“While Spurs have picked up some good results, I have still been disappointed with their front line, and their attacking players have not really connected.

“That’s going to be the issue for them at Emirates Stadium, and the big difference with Arsenal is that you always feel like they are going to score. They are going to give a few teams a walloping, and Spurs could be one of them.

“I started off thinking that this game was going to be reasonably close but, the more I think about it, the more I feel like Arsenal will win comfortably.

“The Gunners have some issues too, with Gabriel out injured. He has been such a colossal player for them but Cristhian Mosquera can come into their defence, and I don’t see it affecting them too much.”

Sutton’s Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs have a shocking record away to Arsenal

Tottenham might have the best away record in the Premier League, but this might not mean much where the Emirates Stadium is concerned.

Yesterday marked 15 years since Spurs last won on Arsenal’s home turf in the English top flight and their last victory there in all competitions came in December 2018.

Tottenham Hotspur are head and shoulders above the rest of the Premier League when it comes to cumulative matches missed by their injured players this season.

Spurs have had yet another injury crisis at the start of this season, which is something that Tottenham fans have become used to over the last two years.

Ahead of the North London derby, Arsenal have suffered some key injuries, and some Gunners fans on social media are extremely frustrated at the development.

However, the data clearly shows that Thomas Frank’s men have had to deal with much worse injury problems than their North London rivals.

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Tottenham sit at the top of the injury league table

The Athletic has now ranked the 20 Premier League teams based on the number of injuries suffered both during this season and those carried over from last campaign.

They have also calculated the number of league games missed as a result of these injuries.

The data shows that Tottenham and Man City have had the most players out injured this season, with both clubs missing 16 players at different times.

However, Spurs players have missed the most matches by far, with the 16 injured players missing a cumulative 72 matches as opposed to Man City’s 40.

Arsenal have had injuries to 12 different players, who have missed a total of 48 matches this season.

Tottenham have been without the services of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai for the whole of the 25/26 season to date, while the likes of Dominic Solanke and Ben Davies have also missed significant game time.

Spurs’ injury crisis has not received enough media attention

The media and even many Tottenham fans have ignored the club’s injury crisis so far this season, even though this data suggests that it is as bad as it was last season.

That is partly down to the fact that Spurs have still managed to put out relatively strong teams, which shows that the squad has been improved considerably.

While assessing Thomas Frank’s start to life at N17, one has to take into account the sheer number of players unavailable to him, which has undoubtedly made his job more complicated.

However, to the Dane’s credit, he has never once used the injuries as an excuse so far.

Ivan Toney has just made a decision on his future at Al-Ahli, and the news comes as a huge boost to Tottenham Hotspur.

Over the last two weeks, a number of journalists and outlets have been playing down Tottenham’s chances of landing the England international in January.

It has been suggested that Spurs may have to put off their pursuit of Toney until next summer, while other reports have indicated that Tottenham have not received any encouragement about a January move from Toney’s camp.

It has been suggested that the former Brentford striker is happy in Saudi Arabia for the time being, but it appears that he has now had a change of heart.

Ivan Toney is ready to take a pay cut to seal England return

According to a new update from TEAMtalk, the centre-forward has now told his close associates that he is ready to take a salary cut to return to the Premier League in January.

The report says that Tottenham are currently at the front of the queue to land Toney, but he is also attracting ‘serious interest’ from Everton.

The striker is thought to have his eyes set on earning a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

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Toney beleives that to do that, he needs to be getting regular minutes under his belt against elite opposition, and is thus ready to return to these shores in the upcoming transfer window.

The report says that Thomas Frank views the former Bees star as the clinical number nine that his side currently lacks, and Spurs have already held preliminary talks with his camp.

Toney has work to do to convince Al-Ahli about the January departure

TEAMtalk claim that the England international has already informed Al-Ahli of his desire to return to the Premier League in January.

However, the Saudi club remain adamant that they will not let their star man go and are prepared to reject any approaches in January.

The publication adds that Toney’s camp are now ‘working on a compromise’ with his club, and he is prepared to accept wages closer to £200,000 a week (around half his current salary) in order to seal a January move.