Pain in the Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur have seemingly leapfrogged Arsenal and Manchester City in the race to sign one of the most complete midfielders in the Premier League in Sandro Tonali, according to various reports across Europe - including David Ornstein.

A race for the Italian midfielder has been going on for a few days, and it is clear that three teams are very interested in his signature. Obviously, there are other teams, too - but Tonali has heavy interest from the three teams mentioned above.

Manchester City, who are looking at bolstering their midfield with new names, are also interested in Elliott Anderson - a signing that could have a domino effect on Tonali's transfer, should they complete it in the near future.

Tottenham have seemingly leapfrogged Arsenal and Man City for World Cup absentee transfer

Arsenal and Tottenham are showing interest in signing the midfielder from Italy, but at the moment, according to Ornstein, Tottenham are at a far more advanced stage than Arsenal.

It is certainly interesting to follow this transfer saga because of a number of reasons. Arsenal, even though they have a good midfield and had upgraded on it just last year, are looking to improve it even further, presumably to form a good double pivot of Tonali and Declan Rice. Tottenham, on the other hand, would obviously want a bigger role from Tonali should he be signed, and it is reported that Roberto de Zerbi is heavily interested in signing his countryman.

The context, though, is just as important. Arsenal have just won the Premier League. They made the final of the Champions League, only losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties. They also made the final of the Carabao Cup. They are obviously the better team, and more suited for success at this current stage.

It is also worth noting that Arsenal have a chance of potentially dominating English football in the next year or two at least, as Manchester City and Liverpool look to regroup with new managers. Tonali could have a lot of success if he joined the Gunners.

On the other hand, Tottenham have barely survived relegation. Obviously, they are still a big club - at least by definition - and they are looking to start a project to get back into the top half of the Premier League. It sounds interesting on paper - to be a part of that. However, the risk is there, just like it was last season, and it is uncertain why the player would want to take that risk.

Newcastle United, the club Tonali is at right now, finished higher than Spurs last season, so there must be a lot of convincing from de Zerbi in Tonali's ears if there is a chance of him joining Spurs over the Premier League champions.

Eberechi Eze walked away with the match ball, becoming the first player to score three goals in a North London Derby since Ken Sunderland in 1978.

Without Eze's three goals, it might have finished Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham. With his goals, though, Arsenal fans can boast a monumental win. They have North London bragging rights because of Eberechi Eze.

However, in terms of sheer importance in getting the win today, one player stepped up. Arsenal headed into this match looking defensively frail. Riccardo Calafiori was playing through an injury he sustained on international break, and Gabriel was missing completely for the same reason.

Nevertheless, Arsenal conceded just one goal, and it came by a freak Richarlison goal. It was through no fault of the defense at all.

In fact, the defense didn't have to do too much. As far as Arsenal was concerned, offense was the better form of defense in that derby.

Arsenal's most important player against Tottenham was not Eberechi Eze

Quite literally, at times. Bukayo Saka stepped up for the Gunners in a huge way, showing that he can be the catalyst between a win and a draw/loss.

Astonishingly, Bukayo Saka made 14 defensive contributions throughout the entire match. No player on the pitch made more defensive contributions than Saka, and Saka was an attacker.

It isn't the first time that Saka has taken on this defensive role this season, and it won't be the last, either. The Englishman remembered his roots by getting stuck in defensively, and Arsenal benefited massively from his work rate.

Come the end of the season, Saka might not put up the same attacking numbers as Arsenal fans are used to. However, it won't be through his lack of effort.

Saka has emerged as a real team player these days. He does a lot of quiet work off the pitch that doesn't receive nearly enough praise.

The very fact that an Arsenal attacker won the most defensive contributions in the game tells the story you should know. Without those defensive contributions, it might have been ugly.

So, taking nothing away from Eze, who will deservedly cuddle the match ball tonight, Bukayo Saka's importance in this game must not be overlooked.

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry didn't hold back when he visited Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and he just had to say his bit on his former side's archrivals.

The Gunners' record goalscorer was in attendance for the blockbuster boxing rematch between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn.

Henry has been known for maintaining his dislike for Spurs even after leaving the red half of north London almost 20 years ago (the first departure) and he didn't hold back when visiting their stadium at the weekend.

Thierry Henry didn't hold back when visiting Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Speaking to DAZN ahead of the fight, Henry said: "[It feels] weird [to be at Tottenham's new stadium].I never came to the new stadium, I used to come to the old one (White Hart Lane) and win a lot, but it's nice."

In all honesty, the Frenchman didn't actually win that often at White Hart Lane, being victorious in just one of his four trips there, but one of his biggest moments in an Arsenal shirt did in fact come at the home of Spurs.

At the tail end of the 2003/04 season, Henry played the entire 90 minutes as the Gunners drew 2-2 with their arch rivals to win the league at the Lane for the second time in their history, having done so in 1971.

The moment was all that more special as it was part of Arsenal's iconic 'Invincibles' campaign, a season the record goalscorer was crucial in, scoring 30 goals in 37 appearances to help his side to the triumph.

While he didn't always enjoy wins at White Hart Lane, Henry did boast a brilliant personal record against Spurs. He never lost in any of the 11 matches against his side's rivals, winning seven and drawing four. He scored five goals and provided two assists in that period.

Henry hasn't let his 'hatred' for Tottenham go long after his retirement as shown with his comments during his trip to their new ground while also frequently making quips on his social media and while working on television.

It's safe to say that the Frenchman left a brilliant legacy at Arsenal and his heart appears to very much still be in the red half of north London, and that will only make Gunners fans love him even more... if that's even possible.

It has been all over the news: Riccardo Calafiori was a doubt to feature for Italy in the international break of November, due to some discomfort.

It was a knock or overload, and it was not confirmed whether the player will feature until Sunday, where Italy manager Gennaro Gattusso confirmed that the player will return to Arsenal before their second match - which turned out to be a 4-1 loss to Norway.

Well, Fabrizio Romano also commented on the situation on Sunday, giving an answer as to whether the player will feature against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

According to the journalist, the player has just got an overload, and it has been confirmed that it was not a serious injury.

So, Calafiori is officially expected to play against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Calafiori is expected to play for Arsenal against Tottenham

It is a huge boost for Arsenal, who are already sweating trying to recover the number of players missing from training due to injury.

Players like Gabriel - who is a fresh absentee from the international break - Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, and others have missed a number of games for the Gunners so far this season, and it is good that Calafiori will not join that list.

Gattusso even confirmed that they wanted to be fair to Arsenal as well as the player, which is why Calafiori did not feature. Gattusso said that the Arsenal defender 'probably could've played', but ended up going back to London.

He said: "We tried Calafiori, he had a few issues. I thank him for his commitment. He stayed here for a week, he could have played perhaps, but it wouldn’t have been fair to him or Arsenal.”

That is excellent load management for a player who was clearly going through some sort of discomfort, but it was not enough to warrant a week or two out from club football action.

However, it is good that Calafiori got this deserved rest, and will get the next few days to recover and train with the coaching staff ahead of the important game.

It is also worth noting that this is the same thing that Brazil are getting criticism for. Gabriel's game time needed to be managed properly during the international break, but it was not, and as a result, he has sustained a muscular injury.

Arsenal fans can just be glad that Calafiori did not have the same fate.

Lack of squad depth has been a reason why Arsenal have come up short in the Premier League title races in recent seasons. In the last campaign, injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus meant that the Gunners were playing without a recognized striker.

Mikel Arteta's side recruited well over the summer, notably finally signing a striker in Viktor Gyökeres. However, Gyökeres and other top players missed the Gunners' last game. They dropped points in that fixture in a 2-2 draw with recently promoted Sunderland.

Arteta will need these players back if he is to finally win the league this season. According to The Standard, "(Noni) Madueke was close to making the squad at Sunderland but was not risked as he recovers from a knee injury sustained in September.

"Gyokeres, (Kai) Havertz, (Gabriel) Martinelli and (Martin) Odegaard are all pushing to be fit for the north London derby on November 23. "

Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal is a fierce rivalry in English soccer. Spurs would like nothing more than to derail their neighbour's title challenge. This is why Arteta will need to have these players back for the clash after the international break.

Can Arsenal finally win the Premier League this season?

Arsenal are currently four points ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League after 11 games. City look back to their best after a disappointing campaign last season. The Gunners were runners-up to City twice in the last three seasons before surrendering the division to Liverpool in the previous campaign. City along with dark horses Chelsea appear to be Arsenal's biggest rivals for the title this season.

Any team needs a big squad to win the title, especially with the Gunners also expected to go far in the Champions League this season. They are currently second in the top European competition to Bayern Munich, but only on goal scored.

Recruiting Gyökeres was huge for Arsenal last summer, but without him, they are back to playing midfielder Mikel Merino up front. Havertz will also be a welcome addition if he returns from injury, too, as he can be another backup to Gyökeres.

If Arsenal continue to struggle with injuries, then they may have to give their youngsters more of a chance. The teenagers Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri were both on the bench against Sunderland. The famous line by former Match of the Day pundit Alan Hanson, "You'll never win anything with kids" may have to be proved wrong yet again.

The North London derby needs no introduction. Indeed the first friendly match played between the two sides was 137 years ago, on 19 November 1887. Spurs won that match 2-1 after darkness brought the tie to an untimely end with 15 minutes remaining.

Arsenal have been the dominant force in North London in recent years, winning five of the last six Premier League matches between the two clubs.

Today, they meet in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong. Although the match does not carry the same importance as a competitve match, neither side will want to lose this one. After all, a North London Derby is still a North London Derby wherever it is being played.

This is a fixture fans of both clubs will want to watch. It's the perfect opportunity for both sets of fans to analyse the new squad, eyeball new signings and preview any upcoming tactical shifts. With the added possibililty of catching a glimpse of new signing Viktor Gyokeres, it's a friendly not to be missed.

So, how exactly do you watch Arsenal vs Tottenham?

How to watch Arsenal vs Tottenham around the world

Arsenal.com and the Arsenal App will be broadcasting the Arsenal vs Tottenham live stream to its members.

Any fan wanting to watch only this match will be charged £6.99 for the viewing fee. This fee allows fans to watch the game live and then three opportunities at repeats, all three hours after each other. The live stream is available at 12:30pm BST, then three repeats at 3:30pm, 6:30pm and 9:30pm BST.

Alternatively, early bids are able to watch the game for £4.99 if an early bid pass is purchased before 9am BST on Sunday, July 27.

For the best value pass, a pre-season pass is available for £14.99 and will give viewing access to the Tottenham game, alongside upcoming friendlies against Tottenham Hotspur, Athletic Club and Villarreal.

Arsenal will not be streaming this match in Spain, Italy, Singapore and Hong Kong.

How to watch Arsenal vs Newcastle in the USA

There are three different options to watch Arsenal vs Newcastle in the USA.

Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo

This match won’t be shown live on TV in the U.S., but fans can still catch the action via streaming on CBS Sports Golazo and Paramount+. New users can even take advantage of a free trial on Paramount+ to tune in without spending a penny.

The kick off times in the USA are as follows:

Eastern Time (ET): 7:30 am

Central Time (CT): 6:30 am

Mountain Time (MT): 5:30 am

Pacific Time (PT): 4:30 am

Alaska Time (AKT): 3:30 am

Hawaii-Aleutian Time (HAT): 1:30 am

When is kick off? Thursday 31 July, 2025

What time is kick off? 12:30 pm BST, 7:30 am ET

Where is it played? Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong

TV channel / live stream? CBS, fuboTV (United States), Arsenal.com, Arsenal App (Worldwide, excluding Italy and Singapore)