Football FanCast

Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of enjoying a much-needed 'manager bounce' were dashed as Arsenal rocked up at N17 and inflicted on their rivals a second 4-1 thrashing of the season.

Eberechi Eze has left a lot to be desired since leaving Crystal Palace and joining Arsenal for £67m last summer, but his personal vendetta against the club who came within a whisker of taking him from Selhurst Park has been sobering to say the least. Five of his six Premier League goals this term have come against Tottenham.

Igor Tudor arrived in north London last week and said all the right things in the build-up to Sunday's match. He exuded confidence. However, no amount of savoir faire could prevent him from turning the tide at Spurs, with numerous stars unable to muster any quality or cohesion.

Spurs' biggest disappointments vs Arsenal

So often a pillar of strength for Tottenham, Micky van de Ven was well off the boil against Arsenal. It's tough to say, but the Dutchman looks somewhat disinterested, certainly affected as Spurs' interminable suffering goes on and on and on.

The athletic centre-back failed with both of his attempted tackles, despite making nine defensive contributions in total, and there's a real concern that he is losing faith in this term with the critical final months upon us.

He wasn't the only one who frustrated. Conor Gallagher looks so limited on the ball, and Xavi Simons has yet to prove he can be a difference-maker and a talisman from a creative standpoint (though he is hardly being helped by those around him).

In many ways, Cristian Romero was another of Tottenham's biggest disappointments on Sunday. The skipper was absent through suspension, after all.

With Romero sidelined, Tudor was forced to make a few rogue decisions to implement his three-man defence, and while Joao Palhinha struggled in an unnatural role, another defender was the worst of the bunch.

Spurs flop is becoming the new Aurier

Since joining Tottenham from Genoa just over two years ago, Radu Dragusin has had a tough time.

The Romanian centre-half was drafted into a shaky set-up, with Romero and Van de Ven both sidelined. Then he ruptured his ACL and spent the majority of 2025 on the sidelines.

Sky Sports analyst Pythagoras in Boots said after the game, "Dragusin must be the worst CB I’ve seen in quite a while in the Premier League."

Such harsh words were by no means baseless, and while Dragusin is an ostensibly talented defender, coveted by Bayern Munich before Spurs won the race and signed him from Genoa for £27m, he is not utilising his quality very well, and in that, he has become the club's new version of Serge Aurier.

Aurier arrived at Tottenham from PSG with a weight of expectation but left with a reputation for hot-headedness and inconsistency. Dragusin isn't a particularly reckless defender, but he's not a particularly good one either.

In fact, analyst Raj Chohan has joined the pile-on and said that he's "not Premier League level". With the danger of relegation beginning to dawn on the Lilywhites, it's fair to say that the concern is that such criticism will prove prophetic at the end of the season.

Tottenham are incapable of completing the fundamentals right now, and Dragusin's efforts are hardly indicative of him being the catalyst at the rear. Mistakes have been commonplace across the backline this season, and Dragusin has directly contributed toward two of them despite only starting three times.

He's going to be sold sooner rather than later, and will fall into obscurity much like Aurier did. In some ways, it's unfair. Structurally, Spurs are a mess.

However, he made a grave mistake in the lead-up to Eze's second striker of the evening, and it's simply not working. Right now, he's not up to the standard, and though Romero is hardly flawless, his return from suspension cannot come soon enough.

Over the years, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have played out some fiercely contested North London Derbies in the Premier League.

Indeed, at one stage in their collective histories, Spurs were seen as a bogey team that the Gunners constantly found hard to overcome, with Arsenal going the entire 2019/20 season without beating their arch rivals in league action.

Now, however, it's clear who has the upper hand in such a big clash, with Arsenal clinching five wins in a row in the often highly competitive fixture, by demolishing Igor Tudor's hosts 4-1 on Sunday evening.

In the reserve fixture, Mikel Arteta's men also swept their sworn foes aside with ease, as Eberechi Eze's hat-trick broke Spurs hearts, with Tottenham largely second best to the might of the league leaders, again, even with a fresh set of ideas courtesy of Igor Tudor in the managerial hot seat.

How Spurs vs Arsenal unfolded

Arsenal would have entered this high-stakes contest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with plenty of nerves attached, having crashed to a 2-2 draw at bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, to give up some ground to Manchester City in the title race.

Arteta and Co did have to put up with some dicey moments up against their enemies from down the road, with Randal Kolo Muani gifting the hosts a pinch of hope when he confidently tucked home a solo effort minutes after the aforementioned Eze handed Arsenal a one-goal lead.

Unfortunately for Spurs, this was just a momentary slice of optimism across a frankly, otherwise, disastrous contest, as Arsenal powered home three goals with confidence in a second half that saw the Gunners dominate.

This shambolic defeat has pushed Tudor's men even further into the relegation mire, with Spurs now only four points above the relegation zone, off the back of the likes of Xavi Simons, only winning one of his 15 duels, as he regularly shirked getting stuck in in such a big showdown.

Gugilelmo Vicario had an equally miserable afternoon against the rampant league leaders, as the Italian only made two saves, while picking the ball out of his busy net four times in total.

Yet, they were not the only players on the home side to underwhelm on Saturday evening.

Spurs star looks like a big waste of money after the derby

Apart from Kolo Muani, who had an additional strike chalked off in the second half, very few Spurs players could trudge off at the end of the 4-1 defeat with positives intact.

Conor Gallagher certainly falls into the bracket of players who suffered from having an awful afternoon against the league leaders, as the former Chelsea midfielder continues to struggle to fit in at Spurs.

The 26-year-old did chip in with an assist during Spurs' eventful 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the start of the month, but since then, it's been an abject stint for the number 22 in his new home, with possession lost a costly 17 times across defeats to Manchester United and Newcastle United in February.

It somehow got worse for Gallagher against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with the former Atletico Madrid man only managing to register 11 accurate passes all match long, as even Vicario ended the one-sided affair with 14 accurate passes tallied up, despite giving up possession a high 24 times.

Moreover, the 22-time England international, who has previously shone as a forceful midfield machine for Crystal Palace and Chelsea, could only muster up 22 touches of the ball before being substituted off just after the hour mark, next to Vicario's 42.

No doubt, Tudor will now be assessing what other options he could throw into the central midfield positions, away from having to rely on a sub-par Gallagher going forward, who also failed to amass a single shot or key pass from his uneventful outing. It's safe to say that he's not had the desired impact on this Spurs side, lacking the ability to progress the play swiftly and lacking the necessary ability to keep possession in the middle of the park.

Tudor could be hard-pressed to find an immediate remedy, with the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur sidelined with a serious injury, as Tudor now comes to terms with the difficult mission he has on his hands to keep Spurs from dropping down to the Championship, just a season on from being crowned Europa League champions.

Should he wish to engineer a quick revival, however, Gallagher must be one of the players to come out of the side. Solutions potentially involved moving Joao Palhinha and Archie Gray back into the engine room.

After the remarkable way in which Arsenal dropped points last midweek, what they needed on Sunday afternoon was a calm affair against Tottenham Hotspur. An easy win was the order of the day.

However, now under the stewardship of Igor Tudor, Spurs ensured that for at least a large portion of the game that the Gunners did not have things all their own way.

Eberechi Eze - Tottenham's newfound nemesis - opened the scoring but within 24 seconds of the restart Randal Kolo Muani had popped up with his very first Premier League goal.

Arsenal supporters thought this was another case of dropping points from a winning position but thankfully, on this occasion, Mikel Arteta's men had learnt their lesson.

The Spaniard's in-game managemant was far better, as was the performance of his charges who ultimately ended up coasting to a 4-1 victory with three goals coming in the second half.

Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, two maligned figures for much of the campaign, were the stars of the show, scoring two goals each. They certainly bailed out Declan Rice who had an interesting game, let's put it that way.

Declan Rice's moment to forget

Speaking in the build-up to this one, the midfielder revealed that the Arsenal players had a team meeting following that 2-2 draw with Wolves last Wednesday. He also issued a reminder, you cannot afford to lose games against Spurs.

Well, while Rice is often outspoken, the £105m signing didn't have his finest game in north London. That said, he still walked off the field at full-time having had a positive impact on the game as he and his teammates were able to bounce back from his mistake.

It's safe to say that the England international doesn't make many errors but he made a vital one that allowed the hosts back into the game.

After Eze had found the net, Rice gathered the Arsenal players and told them to concentrate and switch on. After all, they have dropped countless pointless from winning positions already this term and he was in no mood to see that happen again.

Sadly for the former West Ham man, it was he who made the blunder. Rice tried dribbling out of his own penalty area but was dispossessed. William Saliba didn't then get close enough to Kolo Muani who found the net just moments after Arsenal had initially taken the lead.

Fortunately for Rice, Eze and Gyokeres were able to dig his teammates out of a hole, but after that mistake, the midfielder did actually lead by example. Hopefully that's his one mistake for the season out of the way.

He certainly let Arteta down in the moment, but he wasn't the worst player on the visiting team this weekend.

Arsenal's biggest underperformer vs Spurs

When you win a big derby 4-1, there are not many negatives to pick out. Yet, the performance of winger Leandro Trossard must be highlighted for all the wrong reasons.

Truth be told, this has been an excellent season for Trossard to date. The Belgian has been one of the best left wingers in the Premier League, contributing seven goals and eight assists across all competitions.

However, the 31-year-old's recent form leaves something to be desired, having last found the net on 30th December 2025 in Arsenal's 4-1 win over Aston Villa.

Following that, it's been 13 long games since Trossard last scored a goal. During that run, he's also only picked up a solitary assist. For someone who usually demands so much of himself and his teammates, it's a dismal run of form and a surprising one at that considering how he'd started 2025/26.

While it's difficult to suggest the north London derby was the nadir of his season to date, it was a performance that raised question marks about the Belgium international's long-term place in Arteta's starting lineup.

Handed a 4/10 player rating, unlike his teammates in red and white, Trossard failed to really generate many goalscoring opportunities and cut a pretty isolated figure out on the left-hand side.

Perhaps what didn't help was the way in which Arteta profiled Gyokeres on Sunday. Arsenal have not played to the Swede's strengths this term but they certainly did at the weekend. How did they do that? Well, the centre-forward was incredibly keen to get into the left channel and it was from that position that he scored.

Operating in the left channel was bad news for Trossard who likes to cut inside from those areas. It was perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that on Gyokeres' best day for the club, the Belgian had one of his worst displays this season.

While the former Brighton man did produce four shots, he only generated an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.24. Furthermore, while Bukayo Saka and Eze generated four key passes, Trossard was severely lacking in that department.

He didn't manage a single key pass or cross on Sunday, while four dribbles he attempted went uncompleted.

Ahead of a busy time in the season, Arteta needs more from his experienced winger and it would not be a surprise if he was dropped for the clash against Chelsea next weekend.

Gabriel Martinelli doesn't feel like a viable option right now either so perhaps we may well see Eze fielded on the left, with Martin Odegaard operating from a more central area. With Trossard out of form, it's certainly worth a try.

Just four days ago, huge questions were asked of Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side were dreadful as they slipped to a 2-2 draw away at Wolves.

How on earth had they dropped points there? Well, it was a rather difficult one to answer.

Therefore, as they headed across north London to take on bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, the Gunners had the perfect opportunity to respond.

Respond is exactly what they did, and in some style too. It was a day of glory for Arteta and Co as braces from Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres got Arsenal across the line, winning 4-1.

Manchester City may well have a game in hand, but the difference between the two sides is back to five points. How quickly football can change, eh? After this emphatic result, any lingering concerns have evaporated once again.

How Eze and Gyokeres downed Spurs

Since signing for big money last summer, it's safe to say this has not been the easiest of rides for Eze and Gyokeres in Arsenal colours.

The former has floated in and out of the team and failed to really showcase why Arsenal paid around £67.5m to bring him to the Emirates Stadium from Crystal Palace. Likewise, Gyokeres has struggled. He's struggled to get into games and did not look like a centre forward capable of helping Arsenal win the Premier League title.

Yet, both now look ready at a crucial time to help power the Gunners to the league crown. This was perhaps Gyokeres' finest night in an Arsenal shirt and it was certainly Eze's best performance since that magical hat-trick the last time Arsenal faced Spurs.

There's something about a north London derby that ignites a fire in the England international and after rejecting the Lilywhites to sign for Arteta's side over the summer, it makes the two games with Spurs extra special.

While he did not score a hat-trick this time out, his performance was just as impactful, scoring twice and finding the net for the first time in the league since that trio of goals against their neighbours.

Since that clash at home against Spurs, the former Palace star has really struggled to make an impact but this was a timely reminder of why Andrea Berta brought him to the club. His first strike was a little messy but he opened the scoring from close range. There was nothing messy about the second. He exchanged passes with Gyokeres, fed Saka and then after the winger's effort was blocked, he fired home the rebound from inside the area.

Eze's performance was brilliant but the official man of the match was Gyokeres. Like his fellow summer signing, the striker has faced enormous criticism since moving to London. After the game against Wolves, he had registered zero shots on target in 60% of his league matches for Arsenal.

Well, he looked like a totally different player against a Spurs side who he completely bullied. Arteta described it as the Swede's best performance for the club post-game and it's hard to disagree with that. He took both of his goals brilliantly.

The first, supplied by Jurrien Timber, was rifled home with power and accuracy from the edge of the area and his second to close out the game was all about his strength. He outmuscled Archie Gray and then crashed the ball past Guglielmo Vicario.

Gyokeres looked classy in front of goal but it was his all-round play that pleased Arteta the most. He ran the channels and held the ball up immensely well for his teammates.

That said, they were not the only two to deliver exquisite performances in red and white.

£45m Arsenal star delivers his best display yet

Much of the acclaim will go to Eze and Gyokeres but there were a number of other faultless performers for Arteta's side. David Raya notably made a remarkable goal-line save to keep Arsenal's lead intact towards the end of the game while Bukayo Saka was back to his creative best on the right, supplying the first goal.

Special praise must also be reserved for Piero Hincapie who has had quite the week at left-back for Arsenal.

He scored his first goal for the club against Wolves in midweek but perhaps saved his finest performance since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer for Spurs on Sunday.

Truth be told, the Ecuadorian has not always convinced following his big move but like Gyokeres, is now growing into a bigger role at Arsenal and looks like a particularly important player, particularly if Riccardo Calafiori's fitness issues are to continue.

Hincapie is a centre-back by trade but has filled in for Calafiori at left-back over the last week and has made a huge impact, notably against Spurs, where he dealt with Igor Tudor's attack with absolute ease.

During his time on the field, the 24-year-old was near perfect, amassing ten defensive contributions. He prevailed in as many as eight of his duels and won five of seven contested tackles.

The defender was the very definition of a monster but his efforts were not reserved just for defensive phases of play. As he did against Wolves a few days ago, Hincapie proved that he can offer a threat going forward, supplying three key passes and delivering two crosses. Only one of his 55 touches was unsuccessful too.

While the South American is only on loan at the moment, Arsenal have an option to buy him for £45m in the next transfer window. If he continues to deliver more performances like this between now and the end of May, it would be a no-brainer to make the move permanent.

The result against Wolves may not have gone Arsenal's way but it would be hard to disagree with the fact that this has been Hincapie's best week from an individual point of view since arriving from German shores.

Igor Tudor endured a nightmare = Premier League debut as Tottenham Hotspur boss as Arsenal ran rampant against their near neighbours on Sunday evening.

When Randal Kolo Muani equalised moments after Eberechi Eze bundled home the Gunners' opener, the mood inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would have been one of optimism, as the Frenchman confidently finished off an opportunity after Declan Rice dilly-dallied with the ball.

Yet, the second half saw Mikel Arteta's away side batter their arch rivals 4-1, as Spurs now sit just four points off the top-flight drop zone off the back of such a demoralising defeat.

Very few white shirts could come off at the end of the disastrous loss pleased with their overall efforts, with Tudor given plenty of food for thought as to who he should select for crucial games to follow, as he grows quickly used to the pressures of the Spurs' hot-seat.

Why Spurs struggled so badly vs Arsenal

Arteta and Co have now won the last five fierce showdowns between the sworn North London enemies, as Arsenal sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League summit, while Spurs remain deep in a relegation battle.

Tudor will need his defence to tighten up in games to follow if they want to avoid an embarrassing drop down to the Championship, with the likes of Mickey van de Ven sticking out as a clear underperformer at the back, as Bukayo Saka ran rings around a leaky Spurs defence all match long.

Alongside the Dutchman cutting a frustrated figure, Archie Gray was also far too lightweight in such a vital contest, with the ex-Leeds United wonderkid winning just one of his six duels, alongside giving away possession a careless 16 times. He was also totally outmuscled for Viktor Gyokeres' final goal of the game but to his consolation, the Swede also did the same to the ever underperforming Radu Dragusin who had another night to forget in Spurs colours.

Truthfully, even as Conor Gallagher failed to make an impact again as a brand-new signing, Arsenal were just a cut above their rivals during a one-sided second half, with the aforementioned Gyokeres setting the tone for a comfortable victory for the Gunners when classily slotting home a fierce effort mere moments into the second 45 minutes.

As Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp noted, it was a "complete mismatch" the more the clash dragged on. Dragusin and Gray were poor, and as a result, Tudor needs to make some key alterations immediately.

However, they were not the worst performers for the new manager.

Spurs' biggest underperformer vs Arsenal

Losing at home to Arsenal in such devastating fashion means Spurs' last win in the Premier League came all the way back in late December against Crystal Palace, with the new Tottenham boss very much having his work cut out for him to turn around the car crash unfolding.

A good starting spot to try and turn around this mess could well be to axe Xavi Simons, with the ex-RB Leipzig attacker way off his very best against Arteta's men, as the £52m splashed out on his services last summer continues to look like a reckless splurge of cash.

Simons does have five goal contributions next to his name for the season, with glimpses of his immense quality coming to the forefront here and there in London. Indeed, he picked up an assist against Manchester City earlier in the month where he also completed five dribbles and won 11 duels as a tricky livewire.

He was far easier to contain against Arsenal, though, as the lacklustre number seven only won one of his 15 duels on the night, among other alarming numbers from the disappointing contest.

Alongside feebly throwing himself about the cause, Simons gave away the ball away a reckless 24 times, failed to complete a single accurate dribble from four attempts, and also only registered one on-target effort at David Raya's goal.

This damning assessment of his performance could be enough for Tudor to consider dropping him for his lowly side's next league clash away at Fulham, with Dominic Solanke or Richarlison perhaps in the running for a starting spot in his place.

Despite such a worrying display during his first game in the hot seat, the brand new Spurs boss cut an assured figure at the full-time whistle.

Indeed, the ex-Juventus manager ruled out the potential of relegation confidently when speaking after the 4-1 defeat, even as the North Londoners continue to battle against the drop.

It will be intriguing to see what impact Tudor can have on the downtrodden group of players at his disposal, with Simons surely the first face to be benched if the Croat decides on a refreshed XI for the trip to Craven Cottage.

Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign a former Liverpool star who is increasingly desperate to leave his current club, according to a new report.

Tudor braced for crunch Spurs debut against Arsenal

This afternoon, Igor Tudor will walk out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the very first time as head coach and face Arsenal in the North London Derby.

It is, by any measure, one of the most daunting debuts in English football.

A sold-out ground. A fanbase desperate for something — anything — to believe in, and an opponent sitting top of the Premier League with a genuine title in their sights.

Tottenham head into it in dire shape.

They haven't won in their last eight league games, including a 2-0 humbling at Manchester United and a 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle just ten days ago.

Since Thomas Frank's sacking, the club have turned to Tudor to steady a ship that has been listing badly for months. Tudor has inherited a squad low on confidence and a dressing room that has endured a wretched run of form stretching back to the autumn.

The derby could not have come at a worse time. Or perhaps, for Tudor, it represents the perfect opportunity to make an immediate statement.

Whatever happens on Sunday afternoon, the business of rebuilding this squad will continue in the background, especially after another injury-ravaged season leaves the Spurs squad threadbare.

And it appears Tottenham are already looking at ways to strengthen significantly when the summer window opens.

Tottenham hold talks with ex-Liverpool star Darwin Núñez via intermediaries

TEAMtalk journalist Graeme Bailey now says that the club have been in contact with intermediaries representing Darwin Núñez, the Uruguayan striker currently stranded at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

His situation has now taken a dramatic turn that could open the door to a Premier League return.

Nunez made the move to Riyadh last summer in a deal worth around £46 million, departing Liverpool after a spell that never quite fulfilled its early promise.

He went on to hit nine goals in 24 appearances for Al-Hilal. Then, in February, the club signed Karim Benzema from rivals Al-Ittihad — and Nunez found himself squeezed out entirely due to the Saudi Pro League's strict foreign player quota.

As a result, he cannot play competitive league football again this season, and with the World Cup on the horizon, that is a situation he cannot allow to carry on.

Nunez has been left shocked by the development and is now seriously considering his future.

European clubs have been alerted to his availability, including Tottenham and Newcastle, who have both held talks with the South American's intermediaries.

Even if both sides have been offered the number nine, the major stumbling block is financial.

Nunez earns a reported £400,000 a week in Saudi Arabia, which is far out of Tottenham's reach.

A return to Europe would require him to accept a "huge" pay cut, but Nunez is apparently increasingly open to that possibility in a boost for Spurs and the Magpies.

For Tottenham, a player of Nunez's profile and age — still only 26 — would represent exactly the kind of bold statement signing the club needs.

Whether Tudor survives long enough to see it happen, of course, is another question entirely.

First things first, though, there is a derby to win.

It's derby day. Tottenham Hotspur have been sapped of energy and impetus this season, Thomas Frank's tenure proving an utter failure, but Igor Tudor is ready to turn things around at the business end.

There is little room for mistake, with Frank slumping to a lowly place in the Premier League, scarcely winning any games and leaving Spurs with the London side embroiled in a relegation battle, only five points above 18th-place West Ham United.

It's not going to be easy, but Tudor's Tottenham are going to need to beat Arsenal on Sunday evening to prove that there is new life in this side.

The Lilywhites are going to need to get their creative juices flowing, something that has proved difficult throughout the campaign, and they're going to have to do it without Eberechi Eze, who could have been playing his football down N17 this season.

How Spurs are doing without Eze

When Eze fired in a hat-trick to condemn Tottenham to a sobering north London defeat in November, it added insult to injury for Frank's struggling side, who had a deal all but in place for the England international, only for Arsenal to swoop in and sign him for £67m.

The 27-year-old has risen to prominence over a number of years at Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace, an electric and direct attacker, playing out on the left or in a central position, thrust forward into the danger area.

Tottenham's low-ebb playmaking this term has left everything to be desired, but Eze isn't enjoying the best of seasons at Arsenal, having only scored five goals and supplied six assists across 36 matches in all competitions. That hat-trick, then, makes up the bulk of his direct returns.

In truth, while Eze is competing for the Premier League title, he might have enjoyed more success on an individual level had he signed for Spurs, who could have handed him a talismanic role, especially with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski both long-term absentees.

Arsenal paid a pretty penny for the Three Lions star, but Tottenham might actually have a better player in their mix. In hindsight, perhaps it worked out okay.

Spurs have a talent who's "better than Eze"

Tottenham missed out on Eze, but they may well feel they've signed an even bigger talent in Xavi Simons, who joined the club from RB Leipzig for £52m last summer, after that initial bid fell through.

Simons has struggled at times this season, lacking clarity and confidence in the early knockings of the campaign, but he was one of the brighter Lilywhites players in the closing stages of Frank's stint at the helm, and now, he could break onto new ground for Tudor.

The new Spurs boss favours a 3-4-2-1 formation, and this he could implement on Sunday, with Joao Palhinha dropping deep into a quasi-central defensive role in the absence of the suspended skipper Cristian Romero.

What this would mean is that Simons would play in an advanced attacking role, shadowing Dominic Solanke from the left side.

With Souza or Djed Spence overlapping, hugging the wing, this might be the perfect way for Simons' creative qualities to shine through, having still created six big chances from only 15 starts in the Premier League this season, assisting four goals in total.

The key point here is that Arsenal signed Eze for an instant impact, and he hasn't managed to provide that at the Emirates. Simons, however, has withstood a stern test with Spurs at their lowest, and given that he's been hailed as being "better than Eze" by Jamie O'Hara after he joined the club, it's fair to say he may be justifying that.

How would the English winger have fared at Frank's Tottenham, a disjointed and disorganised mess that has plummeted the club to their nadir?

At least Simons has started to spread his wings in recent weeks and showcase his quality. Aged 22, Simons is a work in progress, but it's not outrageous to claim that he's enjoying a better season than Eze, even if the former Eagles talisman lands himself a Premier League title this season.

Tottenham would love nothing more than to disrupt that on Sunday, and if Simons is on his A-game, they just might at that.

The North London Derby is right around the corner, and Tottenham Hotspur fans are desperate for a reprieve from the miserable form that has consumed their season.

There's still time to turn things around, of course, with Igor Tudor taking control of a side who have waltzed right through to the last 16 of the Champions League.

However, relegation talk in the Premier League cannot continue, and if Spurs are to change that narrative this weekend, they are going to have to beat an Arsenal side who boast a formidable record against their neighbours.

Tottenham's recent record vs Arsenal

There's no sugarcoating it: Tottenham have struggled against their north London rivals for a while. In each of the previous three Premier League campaigns, the Gunners have taken all the points down N17, and you'd have to trace back to 2021/22, eight meetings ago, to find the last time Spurs secured a win in this fixture.

Tudor is looking to salvage something from Tottenham's weary campaign, and beating Arsenal in his first contest would be an incredible way to lift the mood, putting some much-needed breathing room between Tottenham and the dreaded dotted line at the foot of the league table.

You would think that Spurs have the capabilities to end this losing run against their neighbours, who have indeed won three in a row over the road.

On top of that, the Lilywhites have suffered deeply at their home ground since the start of last season, winning eight, drawing seven and shockingly losing 17 fixtures since the start of the previous Premier League season.

If Tottenham are to pull this one off, they are going to need passion and inspiration. Tudor will expect his players to fight for each other and chase down every possible cause.

With the aggressive Romero still absent, Spurs are going to need another leader to step up, and Tudor might just find one in his answer to Declan Rice.

Tudor must unleash Spurs' answer to Rice

Rice is Arsenal's talisman, and if he is allowed to assert his authority in the engine room on Sunday, it will spell danger for the hosts, whose dynamism in the centre of the park has been anything but impressive this season.

And with Cristian Romero sidelined through suspension, there's a distinctive lack of leadership that could prove Tottenham's undoing. That said, Archie Gray has emerged as one of the Londoners' most important players, and he could actually be the one to rival Rice.

Gray, 19, is one of the brightest talents in England, and he's already chalked up 71 appearances for Spurs after leaving boyhood club Leeds United in a deal jsut shy of £30m in 2024.

He has not been fazed by the tricky circumstances the club have been bothered by in recent years, and he has played every minute of his team's past three Premier League matches, a midfielder moonlighting at right-back.

Gray is young and inexperienced, but he's got the potential to become the main man for his club, already showing himself to be more committed and more tenacious than some of his teammates.

Indeed, Harry Redknapp has even gone as far as to claim that "the future Tottenham captain" has been outshining his so-called senior peers.

There's something to be said about that. Gray scored, completed two dribbles and won four duels as Tottenham lost to Newcastle United last time out, that one proving the end of Thomas Frank's miserable tenure. He stood up, a leader, age-belying in his performance.

Not only is Gray considerd skipper material, but he's also tipped to become one of the most valuable players in the Premier League, with analyst Ben Mattinson declaring he is a “future £100m” footballer.

Given that Arsenal signed Rice for £105m back in 2023, Gray might just prove himself to be the Lilywhites' own version, and he'll have a chance to prove his quality in the centre of the park on Sunday.

Tottenham could welcome back a member of their squad next week as the player in question targets an imminent return to training.

Sunday's North London Derby could not have arrived at a more dramatic moment in Tottenham's turbulent season.

Igor Tudor will take charge of his first game as Spurs manager against their fiercest rivals, Arsenal, with the Croatian handed the unenviable task of steadying a ship that has been listing badly for months.

Two managers ago, this was a club that had just won the Europa League.

Now, Tottenham sit just five points above the Premier League relegation zone, having gone eight top flight games without a win.

Thomas Frank paid the price for that miserable run last week. Tudor, the former Juventus boss, has walked into arguably the most pressurised debut of his managerial career — though history is at least on his side, having won his first game at each of his last five clubs.

Arsenal, meanwhile, arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with their own nerves fraying.

The Gunners dropped points against Wolves recently and know that a defeat here could blow the title race wide open. Neither side is in the mood to give an inch.

With Spurs captain Cristian Romero still serving a four-game suspension and a lengthy injury list hampering Tudor's options, Sunday's encounter promises to be ferocious — and difficult viewing for the home faithful.

Yet, amid the tension and the chaos of a season gone sideways, there is at least one quietly positive story emerging from Hotspur Way, even if it has little to do with the first team.

Mason Melia nearing return from injury at Tottenham

BBC Sport's Nizaar Kinsella is reporting that Mason Melia, Tottenham's highly-rated new teenage striker, is closing in on a return to training as early as next week.

The 18-year-old Irishman joined Spurs in January from St Patrick's Athletic in a deal worth £1.6m, potentially rising to £3.2m with add-ons — a record fee for a player departing League of Ireland football.

His arrival had been long anticipated.

Spurs beat off competition from Everton, Chelsea, Man City, Celtic, Genk, Bologna and Eintracht Frankfurt to land his signature, such was the level of interest in him across Europe.

The decision to loan out fellow striker Dane Scarlett to Hibernian for the rest of the season was made with Melia's imminent arrival firmly in mind.

The only setback has been a minor back complaint that Tottenham's medical staff identified when he first walked through the door. It was not considered serious, but the club were cautious enough to keep him out of any competitive involvement while it was resolved.

That period of patience now appears to be coming to an end.

Once fit, Melia is expected to link up with the Spurs Under-21s initially, with the door left open for involvement with Tudor's first team if he takes his opportunity.

Given Spurs' threadbare attack and the pressure Tudor will face to produce results quickly, it would not be a surprise to see Melia fast-tracked if he hits the ground running.

Thomas Frank is anciet history, and it's the Igor Tudor chapter at Tottenham Hotspur, with the Croatian coach drafted in to save the Londoners' season.

On Sunday, Arsenal will present Tudor and his coaching staff with the toughest of tests, but the Gunners are hardly in the best of form, and Tudor's freshly implemented system could make it one to remember for the struggling hosts.

The 47-year-old's arrival comes with many questions. Will Spurs look to get on the front foot? How will they hold up against Arsenal's frontline?

The most pertinent question, though, centres on the formation and line-up Tudor will field on his Premier League debut.

Tudor's predicted XI vs Arsenal

Tudor is a proponent of the 3-4-2-1 formation. It's a slightly contentious set-up that bears a whiff of Antonio Conte's one-time system in London.

However, the Croatian coach is adaptable, and with Cristian Romero and Kevin Danso absent, we're likely to see Micky van de Ven partner with Radu Dragusin at the rear, flanked by Pedro Porro and Djed Spence in his moonlit left-back role.

Sadly, the N17 side are struggling with so many injuries to key players, but we should still see a dynamic midfield, Joao Palhinha the anchor and Conor Gallagher joined by one of Pape Sarr or Archie Gray, who has been impressive in recent weeks.

Gallagher, 25, needs to step up after his £35m move from Atletico Madrid in January. The England international is a dynamic, high-energy style of midfielder, and that presence will be crucial in winning the central battles against Declan Rice and co.

This is a group of players who have been fighting beneath their weight class this season, and many of them should be doing better. The forwards need to make headway, and Randal Kolo Muani will no doubt be buoyed by Tudor's arrival, having scored five times from 11 games under the manager's wing at Juventus last year.

However, not everyone at Spurs has been poor this season, and there's one player in particular who could thrive on Sunday, perhaps even good enough to walk right into Arteta's starting line-up.

The Spurs star who'd walk into Arsenal's team

Tottenham are not as strong or as coherent a unit as Arsenal right now, and that's a hard fact. However, that doesn't mean they can't beat their bitter rivals, who laboured to a draw at Molineux on Wednesday evening.

In order to achieve this, Tudor must unleash Dominic Solanke at number nine.

Solanke left Bournemouth for north London in 2024, completing an initial £55m transfer to Tottenham. However, the 28-year-old's time at the club has been ruined by injuries, both last season and this year.

He was unable to prevent Frank's sacking earlier this month, but with four goals from nine matches since bouncing back from injury, Solanke might just hold the key to turning things around, and he could certainly prove himself an upgrade on Viktor Gyokeres, who signed for the Gunners from Sporting Lisbon for a £64m fee last summer.

There are similarities. Both are strong and able carriers, naturally gifted in front of goal and experienced in the European game. However, it looks like Solanke, a "pressing monster", according to journalist George Sessions, might just be the superior player, more intelligent and better with his movement around the area.

Indeed, there's no question that Gyokeres has been the weak link in Arteta's team this season, and the lack of a world-class goalscorer may prove their downfall in the chase for a title, yet again.

Of course, he might be a powerful kind of frontman, a focal point for his teammates to target, but that's not to say that Solanke isn't capable of producing the spectacular.

The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell hailing him as a "top, multi-faceted forward" during his Bournemouth days, and with a prolific edge to his game too, the Three Lions star would trump Gyokeres at the spearhead of Arsenal's title-winning system, and this might just prove advantageous for Tottenham on derby day.

Tottenham fans have been through a lot this season, and there's no question that this Super Sunday clash will be approached with a measure of trepidation.

But if Tudor polishes the system and ensures the Spurs players are ready to fight for each other, they might just pull off something special, especially with Solanke leading the line.