Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the North London football derby as Arsenal host Spurs at the Emirates.
Who: Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
What: English Premier League
Where: The Emirates Stadium, London
When: Sunday at 4:30pm (16:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
The standout Premier League game of the weekend sees Arsenal host Tottenham in the North London derby, with Spurs desperate to put a dent in their bitter rivals’ title campaign while reinvigorating their own stumbling season.
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League leaders Arsenal start the weekend on 26 points, four points above second-placed Man City, but their run of 10 straight wins – and eight successive clean sheets – was brought to an end in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland before the international break.
Spurs head into the weekend in fifth place with 18 points, a position that probably flatters Thomas Frank’s side, who have been sorely lacking in creativity while also being prone to defensive lapses.
Arsenal have dominated recent derbies – unbeaten in the last six – but Spurs travel to the Emirates boasting the best away record in the league this season.
Gabriel faces ‘weeks’ out in major blow for Arsenal
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes will be out of action for “weeks” after picking up an injury during international duty, manager Mikel Arteta confirmed on Friday.
The Brazil centre-back has been ever-present in the Premier League in a Gunners back line that has conceded just five goals in 11 games, but he suffered a thigh injury during Brazil’s 2-0 friendly win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.
“It’s clearly a blow because he’s our leader in our back line and, to me, it’s never a positive thing,” Arteta said.
“The good thing is that we have very good options and people have to stand up now and do the job.”
A ‘privilege’ to lead Arsenal in the derby, Arteta says
Arteta spoke to Arsenal’s in-house media about the passion of the north London derby and the sense of “privilege” he feels to be a part of these games.
“There’s been a lot of shifts as well over the years, we’ve been more dominant, and it’s just beautiful, especially when we play at home in front of our people, we know what it means to them,” he said.
“The energy that they’re going to bring, the energy that the team is going to bring in every single action, it’s just a privilege to play those kinds of games. We cannot wait to get to Sunday.”
Frank wants ‘controlled chaos’ against Arsenal
Tottenham’s boss admitted on Friday that Spurs are some way behind their archrivals but believes they can disrupt Arteta’s side on Sunday.
“The interesting thing is that probably both Mikel and I would like a little bit more of a controlled game, but it will probably end up absolutely madhouse,” Frank, who will be getting his first taste of the derby, told reporters.
“I expect a difficult [match], but a game that can go anywhere.”
Frank is regarded as a far more pragmatic coach than Ange Postecoglou, the man he replaced in the close season, with an emphasis on set-pieces and data that served him so well at Brentford.
However, Frank will not be telling his side just to try and grind out a point on Sunday.
“Definitely embrace controlled chaos, or chaos we like to create, if that makes sense, because chaos can be good,” Frank said. “Chaos can be transitions, high-pressure and set-piece second phases, and all those areas are, of course, areas we would like to exploit if we can.
“By the way, we will never go for a 0-0. It maybe will end 0-0 but we will always try to win. Always, always, always.”
Tottenham’s impressive away form
Frank’s side have taken 13 points from five games and the Dane said that will give them confidence ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
“Arsenal are at the top of the table, by quite a distance,” said Frank. “They’ve been good for a few years, but we need to do everything we can to turn that around.
“It’s one game on Sunday, one game where I’m convinced that we’ll compete a lot. I will do everything we can to beat them.”
Head-to-head
Arsenal and Spurs have locked horns on 211 occasions, with Arsenal winning 89 of those games, Tottenham winning 67, and 55 ending in draws.
The Gunners did the double over their rivals last season, and Tottenham have won just two of their last 10 meetings with Arsenal since December 2020.
Tottenham have not won at the Emirates since a League Cup clash in 2018 and their last Premier League victory away to their neighbours was a 3-2 win 15 years ago.
The last Spurs victory over Arsenal was a 3-0 home win in the Premier League back in May 2022.
Arsenal’s team news
While Arsenal will miss Gabriel, they have good back-up options in summer signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie.
Club captain Martin Odegaard remains some way from availability after a knee injury, while Kai Havertz has suffered a relapse in his injury recovery and has been ruled out. Forward Gabriel Jesus is slowly being rehabilitated after his ACL tear but is not expected to return until the new year.
Meanwhile, Striker Viktor Gyokeres, wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke, and left-back Riccardo Calafiori are major doubts as they continue to recover from injuries.
Leandro Trossard is likely to get the nod to start as a false nine, while Eberechi Eze is set to play on the left wing.
Arsenal’s predicted starting XI
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard
Tottenham’s team news
Forward Randal Kolo Muani is available after suffering a head injury in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United last time out.
Defender Archie Gray is also available, as is midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who was forced out of the Sweden squad, and Pape Matar Sarr is also in the Spurs squad despite suffering an injury while playing for Senegal.
It remains unclear whether winger Mohammed Kudus will have recovered from a knock to return against the Gunners.
Ben Davies, Kota Takai, and Radu Dragusin are all serious doubts as they struggle to recover from knocks.
Spurs remain without Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Yves Bissouma due to longer-term injuries.
Tottenham’s predicted starting XI
Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Palhinha, Simons; Johnson, Richarlison, Odobert
Matthijs de Ligt equalised in the sixth minute of a dramatic period of stoppage time to earn Manchester United a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Tottenham looked like claiming all three points on Sunday when Richarlison glanced in a header in the first minute of added-on time, completing a Spurs comeback from a goal down.
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There was still time for de Ligt to find space at the back post at a corner to direct a header goalwards and over the line before Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario clawed the ball away.
Trailing to Bryan Mbeumo’s 32nd-minute header, Tottenham dominated the second half and grabbed an equaliser in the 84th through substitute Mathys Tel’s shot that deflected in off de Ligt.
De Ligt said United deserved more from the game than a point.
“I’m proud of the team for how we fought back and got a point in a really difficult stadium,” he said.
“You can see that we still have the fire in our belly to get a goal, to get a point – even with 10 men,” he added, as United played the last few minutes a man down as Benjamin Sesko was forced off injured after United had made all their five substitutions.
However, Tel said he felt Spurs merited all three points.
“We are feeling 50-50, we conceded a goal, but our reaction in the second half was top,” Tel said.
“We changed the game, but we are mad because we have to win today. The subs brought energy to change the game, and we showed great mentality; we deserved to win.”
United extended their unbeaten run in the league to five games – three wins followed by two draws – while Tottenham have only won one of their six home games so far.
However, the Red Devils have now failed to beat Spurs in their previous eight meetings, but it was the most recent of these that will live long in the memory of the Tottenham support.
Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought thanks to a scrappy 1-0 win in the Europa League final in May, which also took them into the Champions League while United missed out on European football altogether.
Despite the huge blow to United’s finances and prestige, Ruben Amorim is making the most of having more time on the training field to finally build some momentum after a tough first year at Old Trafford.
Unlike most of United’s big-money signings in recent years, Bryan Mbeumo has proved his worth since a 65-million-pound ($86m) move from Brentford in July.
The Cameroonian was named Premier League player of the month for October and took his tally to four goals in as many games when he headed in from Amad Diallo’s cross on 32 minutes.
Spurs were booed off after a woeful attacking display in losing a London derby 1-0 to Chelsea last weekend.
After another dreary first 45 minutes, the hosts came to life early in the second period.
Senne Lammens produced a brilliant stop to turn Cristian Romero’s flick behind.
The Belgian goalkeeper was quickly called into action again to parry Joao Palhinha’s effort.
Brennan Johnston, who scored the winner when the sides last met in Bilbao, was then denied an equaliser by the offside flag.
Tottenham’s burst of attacking threat quickly fizzled out, though, and discontent among the home fans with manager Thomas Frank showed when his decision to replace Xavi Simons was roundly booed.
However, the Spurs boss can claim his changes turned the game around.
Destiny Udogie crossed for fellow substitute Tel to turn and fire into the top corner via a deflection off de Ligt.
Wilson Odobert, introduced off the bench at half-time, then curled a shot towards the far corner that Richarlison flicked in to leave Lammens helpless.
The Brazilian tore off his shirt and was reduced to tears in his celebration.
Yet, it still was not enough to earn Tottenham a first home league win since the opening weekend of the season.
De Ligt was offered too much space at the back post from Bruno Fernandes’s corner, and his header was too powerful for Vicario.
Later, Arsenal take a six-point lead into a match at Sunderland, while Chelsea host Wolverhampton in one of three other games.
Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the game as Spurs host United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Who: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United
What: English Premier League
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
When: Saturday at 12:30pm (12:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 09:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
The weekend’s Premier League action begins in north London where sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur welcome eighth-placed Manchester United.
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Provisional second place in the table is up for grabs in a grudge game for Ruben Amorim’s United side after Spurs beat them 1-0 in last season’s Europa League final to prevent the Red Devils from playing in the Champions League this season.
While the hosts are seeking to bounce back from a home defeat by Chelsea last weekend, the visitors are unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches – a sequence that includes a 2-1 win over champions and archrivals Liverpool, as well as last weekend’s battling 2-2 draw away at Nottingham Forest.
Frank ‘happy’ with Spurs response to Chelsea defeat
Following an insipid defeat to Chelsea last weekend, Spurs have now lost three Premier League games at home this season. Their record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the last 12 months is even worse – they have won just four out of 20 home league games, drawing four and losing 12.
Tottenham did at least get a boost in midweek as Spurs thrashed Copenhagen 4-0 at home to record their biggest win since manager Thomas Frank took charge.
Frank was reluctant to point to the victory over a team from his native Denmark as a turning point after a difficult spell of one win in five, but it lifts the mood before Saturday’s visit from Manchester United.
“We talk a lot about that bounce-back mentality because in life and football there will be setbacks,” he said.
“Every team will experience that and it’s how we react to that to come out after a bad game or a bad spell and come back to it. That’s part of a good team. I’m very happy with the response the players came with.”
Van de Ven makes amends with wonder goal
Micky van de Ven got back in favour with Frank as the Tottenham defender’s stunning solo goal during the rout of Copenhagen drew comparisons to Lionel Messi.
Van de Ven and Djed Spence were forced to apologise to Tottenham boss Frank this week after they ignored his plea to applaud fans following Saturday’s loss to Chelsea.
But Van de Ven retained his place in the starting lineup and produced a moment of magic, running over half the length of the pitch before delivering a clinical finish to score.
“It seems like we had Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven, roaring down from his own goal all the way to the other end and scored a fantastic goal,” Frank said.
“I think he’s our top scorer in all competitions, so he can keep going.”
‘We are a better team’
United will not need motivation against Spurs, having lost all four games they played against Tottenham last season.
When asked how United had changed since the Europa League final, Amorim replied: “First of all, the characteristics of the players. So, we are a better team, we play better, we understand the game better. I think we are more confident.
“We reached that final confident that we could win because we were doing well in Europe, but in this moment we play with a different confidence.
“We manage the moments of the game better. But if you remember that game, they have that shot on the goal, they won the game.
“So, I expect a different game, that we can play better, but also to have a little bit luck to help us to win the game.”
Amorim hits back at Ronaldo criticism
Cristiano Ronaldo, who won eight trophies at United, said this week that United were “not in a good path” after a wretched season in which the Red Devils finished 15th, and warned that Amorim was “not going to do miracles” at Old Trafford.
Amorim, who took over from Erik ten Hag in November 2024, hit back by urging fans and pundits alike to look forward rather than dwell on the past.
“Of course, he has a huge impact in everything he said,” Amorim said on Thursday.
“What we need to focus [on] is in the future. We know that we as a club made a lot of mistakes in the past, but we are trying to change that. So let’s not focus on what happened. Let’s focus [on] what we are doing now.
“We are changing a lot of things in the structure, the way we do things, the way we want the players to behave. We are doing that and we are improving.”
Head-to-head
The two clubs have faced each other 204 times, with United winning 96 of those games, Tottenham winning 57 and 51 ending as draws.
Despite doing the league double over Man United last season, Spurs have only won four of their last 12 Premier League games against the Red Devils, with three of their last five victories coming at Old Trafford.
As well as beating United 1-0 in the Europa League final last season, Spurs also won a wild League Cup quarterfinal 4-3 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The last time United beat Spurs was back in October 2022, when goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes gave the Red Devils a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.
Tottenham Hotspur’s team news
Spurs could be missing as many as 10 players for United’s visit, with James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies, Archie Gray and Kota Takai all ruled out through injury.
Winger Mohammed Kudus is a doubt after he missed the win over Copenhagen with a knock, potentially opening the way for Brennan Johnson to start on the right.
Midfielder Lucas Bergvall is unlikely to feature due to concussion protocols following a blow to the head that forced his substitution against Chelsea last weekend.
Tottenham’s predicted starting lineup
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Palhinha, Sarr; Johnson, Richarlison, Simons
Manchester United’s early team news
United’s only reported injury concern is with centre back Lisandro Martinez, who has returned to training after being sidelined since February with a knee injury but is still regaining full fitness.
Harry Maguire returned to the bench for United’s 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest last weekend after recovering from a knock, so Amorim could recall the defender or stick with Leny Yoro in the back three.
United’s predicted starting lineup
Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko
Manchester City’s troubles from last season have been exposed once more in a humbling 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham that raises questions about their quest to regain the Premier League title.
Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha struck for the Europa League winners on Saturday just before half-time as Spurs went top of the table, making it a perfect start for manager Thomas Frank after two league games in charge.
City’s run of four consecutive titles came to a spectacular end last season as they finished a distant third behind Liverpool and Arsenal.
A 4-0 thrashing of Wolves on the opening weekend of the campaign showed glimpses of a new-look City back to their best.
However, a series of defensive issues remain unresolved as manager Pep Guardiola must decide on who will be his number one goalkeeper going forward after a day to forget for James Trafford.
The England international retained his place in goal despite the return to fitness of Ederson.
The Brazilian is reportedly on the verge of joining Turkish giants Galatasaray, which would free up City to make a move for out-of-favour Paris Saint-Germain keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City’s failure to get those deals done before the final week of the transfer window came back to haunt them in a familiar tale for Guardiola’s men against Tottenham.
In the last 13 Premier League meetings between the sides, City have won just four despite several changes of management at Spurs in that time.
Frank is the latest man in the Tottenham dugout and has made a highly impressive start.
Spurs were minutes away from beating PSG in the UEFA Super Cup before losing on penalties and have taken maximum points from their opening two Premier League games without conceding a goal.
Omar Marmoush’s return was one of two City changes as Ballon d’Or winner Rodri had to settle for a place on the bench.
Marmoush flashed a shot across goal and was then denied by Guglielmo Vicario with City’s best chance before conceding.
City’s high line was easily exposed in an embarrassing early exit from the Club World Cup to Saudi side Al-Hilal last month and is an issue Guardiola still has to resolve.
Tottenham took the lead at 35 minutes when Mohammed Kudus fed Richarlison, and he squared for Johnson to power past Trafford.
An offside flag briefly halted Spurs’ joy until a VAR review showed the slipping Ruben Dias had played Richarlison onside.
City then completely lost their composure for the period before half-time.
Trafford was fortunate to avoid being punished after rushing outside his box to block a shot from Kudus.
But the 22-year-old then endured a moment that might cost him the chance to be Guardiola’s number one this season.
Trafford’s attempted pass to Nico Gonzalez inside his own box was intercepted by Pape Matar Sarr, and even though the goalkeeper recovered to deny Richarlison, Palhinha smashed home the rebound.
Erling Haaland had the chance to reduce City’s arrears in first-half stoppage time but headed over the goal to sum up a tough afternoon for the Norwegian.
Spurs let a two-goal lead slip late on against PSG in Frank’s first game in charge but rarely looked in danger of suffering a similar fate on Saturday.
Haaland wasted City’s other big opportunity to gain a foothold when he overhit a pass to Rayan Cherki with just Vicario to beat.
City fell to defeat with a whimper and could have been further punished on the counterattack when Trafford made good saves to deny Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert in stoppage time.
Follow our live build-up, with full team news coverage and analysis, ahead of our live text and photo commentary stream.
Who: Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur
What: English Premier League
Where: Etihad Stadium in Manchester, United Kingdom
When: Saturday, August 23 at 12:30pm (11:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the updates on Al Jazeera Sport from 9:30am (8:30 GMT) in advance of our live match commentary stream at 12:30pm (11:30 GMT).
After the battle of Old Trafford between Manchester United and Arsenal on the opening weekend, the Premier League has served up another mouth-watering early-season meeting between two sides with lofty ambitions this term.
Manchester City and Tottenham both proved to be well below par last season but come into the new campaign full of vigour – and with plenty of new signings.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at another stellar Premier League match-up in only the second round of fixtures.
How did Man City and Tottenham fare last season?
Manchester City’s slide was the most surprising of all last year, as Pep Guardiola’s defending champions struggled through the early months of the campaign before scrambling over the line to claim a Champions League qualifying position at the last.
Tottenham, meanwhile, finished one place above the relegation zone – a position that led to Thomas Franck replacing Ange Postecoglou as manager.
Spurs did, however, lift the Europa League, beating Manchester United in the final, meaning the north London club are competing in the Champions League alongside City this season.
What happened on the opening weekend for Man City and Tottenham?
City stormed to a 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers with Erling Haaland netting twice. Tijjani Reijnders, making his Premier League debut, was one of the key performers and topped his day with a goal, while Rayan Cherki came off the bench to score the fourth.
Tottenham also eased their way into the new campaign with a 3-0 home win against Burnley.
Richarlison scored the first two for Spurs, the opener in the 10th minute, before Brennan Johnson added the third.
Who did Man City and Tottenham sign in the summer?
Former Man City academy player James Trafford was a late summer signing in goal for City and is set to continue between the sticks with Ederson still being linked with a move away from the Etihad.
The 23-year-old, who left City for Burnley in 2023, is the latest of six summer recruits for Guardiola to go with the arrivals of Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez and Vitor Reis in the January window.
The signings of Reijnders, defender Rayan Ait-Nouri, midfielder Sverre Nypan and winger Cherki, alongside Trafford and veteran keeper Marcus Bettinelli, means City’s spending for 2025 has surpassed the 300 million pound ($402m) mark.
Tottenham have not been shy themselves, when it comes to splashing the cash with eight recruits signed in this window.
The capture of Ghana forward, Mohammed Kudus, from rivals West Ham for 55 million pounds ($73.8m) is the headline news.
Fellow attacker Mathys Tel was hardly cheap, though, with the 20-year-old Frenchman secured for 40.2 million pounds ($53.9m) from Bayern Munich. Both will be looked upon to fill the hole left by Son Heung-min’s transfer to Los Angeles.
Kevin Danso’s 21 million pounds ($28.2m) arrival in defence from Lens will also be seen as a major move following the difficulties suffered at the back by Spurs under Postecoglou.
What happened the last time Man City played Tottenham?
The last meeting between the teams was in North London in February with City winning 1-0.
Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the game in the 12th minute.
What happened in the corresponding fixture last season?
Tottenham stormed to a 4-0 win in the Premier League encounter at Etihad Stadium last season.
City were in the middle of a wretched run, which ended their title defence before it got off the ground, and the hammering on November 23 only compounded matters.
James Maddison scored in the 12th and 20th minutes to give Spurs a storming start before Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson rounded off matters in the second half.
Spurs had already claimed a 2-1 League Cup win against City by that stage of the season.
Head-to-head
This is the 165th meeting between the clubs with Manchester City winning 69 times and Tottenham emerging victorious on 68 occasions.
The first meeting came in January 1909 with Spurs winning 4-3 in an FA Cup encounter in Manchester.
The North London club have won two of the last three matches, ending a run of only one win in five against City.
Man City team news
Midfielders Mateo Kovacic, Kalvin Phillips and forward Savinho will all miss the match due to Achilles issues for the former two and an unspecified injury for the latter.
Rodri, Ederson, Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol were all absent from the season-opening win against Wolverhampton Wanderers but returned to training this week.
Tottenham team news
Maddison leads a long list of absentees for Spurs and his loss is doubly felt following his brace in the win at the Etihad last season.
Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, Bryan Gil, Manor Solomon and Kota Takai are all also missing for the trip due to injuries.
Yves Bissouma and Destiny Udogie, however, are both set to be assessed ahead of the match after missing the win against Burnley due to knocks.
Manchester City predicted starting lineup
Trafford; Nunes, Stones, Dias, Ait-Nouri; Bernardo, Gonzalez; Bobb, Reijnders, Marmoush; Haaland
Tottenham Hotspur predicted starting lineup
Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Bentancur, Palhinha, Spence; Sar, Kudus; Richarlison
Follow our live football updates, with full team news, ahead of our text commentary of the Champions and Europa League winners.
Son Heung-min has agreed to a contract with Los Angeles FC, finalizing his move to Major League Soccer (MLS) after a decade at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 33-year-old South Korean superstar forward is joining LAFC three days after he formally announced his decision to leave Tottenham.
Son attended LAFC’s Leagues Cup match against Tigres at BMO Stadium on Tuesday night, watching from a luxury suite. LAFC will formally introduce Son at a news conference Wednesday, but the club showed the forward on the stadium video board late in the first half as he waved to roaring fans thrilled by their team’s landmark acquisition.
LAFC, a deep-pocketed club with significant team success in its first eight seasons of existence, reportedly paid a transfer fee of more than $20m, which could end up being the most ever for an MLS move.
Son was a beloved presence at Spurs, scoring 173 goals in 454 competitive appearances for the North London club, while rising to global prominence with his combination of speed, playmaking skill and finishing acumen.
The captain was given a memorable farewell last week in Seoul during Tottenham’s exhibition match against Newcastle, getting a guard of honour from both teams and tearfully exiting in the second half while nearly 65,000 fans roared.
But South Korea’s most popular athlete – and almost certainly the greatest Asian soccer player in history – has chosen an auspicious stage for the next chapter of his ground-breaking career.
Los Angeles has the world’s largest ethnic Korean population outside Korea, with the city’s vibrant Koreatown district sitting just a couple of kilometres (miles) from LAFC’s BMO Stadium.
LAFC is undoubtedly hoping to market Son as a soccer counterpart to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, albeit on a smaller scale. Ohtani, the three-time MLB MVP from Japan who is on a trajectory to become the greatest Asian player in baseball history, draws fans from across the Pacific Rim to Dodger Stadium while attracting millions in sponsorships and partnerships for the Dodgers.
Son’s move to California also puts him in a position to have an effect on and off the field at the World Cup, which will be held across North America in 2026. Son, the captain of his national team, has already said he will play in his fourth World Cup.
After leading Tottenham to its first European trophy in decades by winning the Europa League in May, in a fitting cap to his English career, Son will go straight into the MLS Cup race when he suits up for his new club. LAFC currently sits sixth in the Western Conference at 10-6-6, but with multiple games in hand on every team ahead of it due to its participation in the Club World Cup.
Son’s seven Premier League goals last season were his fewest since his Tottenham debut, but he still appears to have the pace and skill necessary to be a difference-maker at any level. He also turned 33 only a month ago, putting him on the younger end of the global stars recently arriving in MLS.
Lionel Messi and Marco Reus were 35 and Luis Suarez was 37 when they went stateside in recent years, while Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris were both 37 when they joined LAFC last year.
Son will be reunited in Los Angeles with longtime Tottenham teammate Lloris, who has been outstanding since becoming LAFC’s goalkeeper last season.
High-scoring French forward Denis Bouanga is the only designated player currently under contract for LAFC, and general manager John Thorrington has been criticised by some fans for not using the full power of his financial resources this season. LAFC spent months on an ultimately failed attempt to get France’s Antoine Griezmann to leave Atletico Madrid.
Bouanga and Son have both thrived on the left wing during their careers, but Son likely has more positional versatility than Bouanga, making him a candidate to line up in the middle or even on the right wing.
Son seems to be an infinitely better fit for LAFC than Giroud, who moved to Lille last month after one disappointing year in California. LAFC plays a counterattacking, speed-based style that didn’t suit Giroud’s goal-scoring strengths, while Son should be right at home in such a system.
But LAFC could also alter its style in the winter, after coach Steve Cherundolo departs for Germany following four largely successful seasons highlighted by an MLS Cup championship.