A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-Minand Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville look ahead to the north London derby on Sunday.
Gary Neville predicts a ‘bloodbath’ when Tottenham host Arsenal
Gary Neville predicts the first 15 to 20 minutes of the north London derby on Sunday will be ‘like a bloodbath’. The Manchester United icon expects Tottenham Hotspur will do whatever they can to beat Arsenal and put a dent in their rival’s hopes to win the Premier League title.
Spurs also need a win as they chase down Aston Villa for the final Champions League place. Ange Postecoglou’s side have games in hand over Unai Emery’s team but must also clinch all available points. Likewise, Arsenal cannot give Manchester City a chance to find momentum.
So, Neville expects a fiery contest in N17 when Arsenal visit Tottenham for the north London derby. The two teams drew 2-2 when Spurs visited Emirates Stadium in September with Son Heung-Min scoring twice to counter Cristian Romero’s own goal plus a Bukayo Saka penalty.
“It’s going to potentially be like a bloodbath in the first 15 to 20 minutes,” Neville told Sky Sports. “The Tottenham fans don’t want Arsenal to win the league.
“Tottenham will want a win, not just for stopping Arsenal, but for pride [in] winning a north London derby and getting as many points as they can.”
Read more about what Neville has had to say ahead of the north London derby, here.
Barcelona dream about a transfer for Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli
FC Barcelona have identified Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli as a dream transfer target to resolve their left-wing issue. That is according to Mundo Deportivo, which reports the Camp Nou side would love to get Martinelli, Liverpool’s Luis Diaz or Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams.
Xavi Hernandez had coveted the arrival of Bernardo Silva from Manchester City. But the rise of Lamine Yamal in Catalunya has convinced the Blaugrana to turn their efforts to signing an out-and-out winger who can unbalance opponents with his speed, dribbling and goal threat.
Diaz and Williams would suit what Xavi wants in a new forward after he agreed to remain in charge next season. But Barcelona view Martinelli as a ‘forbidden dream’ as the 22-year-old has a contract for Arsenal to 2027. He has eight goals and five assists in 40 games this term.
Read more about Barcelona’s interest in a transfer for Arsenal forward Martinelli, here.
Son Heung-Min thinks Arsenal are the ‘perfect’ opponent for Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-Min thinks Arsenal are the ‘perfect’ opponent for his side ahead of the north London derby. The 31-year-old is excited for Spurs to have a chance to test themselves against the Gunners as they are ‘one of the best’ teams in the world now.
Son has suggested that Ange Postecoglou’s team still need to test themselves against Mikel Arteta’s XI as Tottenham are building with a ‘very young’ team. Yet Spurs have registered an average age of 25 with their squads for Premier League fixtures to Arsenal’s average of 25.1.
Just Chelsea (23.7) and Burnley (24.8) have penned average ages lower than Tottenham and Arsenal this season. But Son has sought to get an excuse in early ahead of the north London derby by describing Arsenal’s visit to Tottenham as the ‘perfect’ test for an inexperienced XI.
“It will be a good test for our team,” Son said, via quotes by the Mirror. “We’re very young and we’re still a little bit inexperienced because we’re building a young team with a young team with new experiences.
“Some of them are in their first season in the Premier League. So look, we can test ourselves against one of the biggest teams in Europe and the Premier League, but also in the world.
“It’s very important the way we play. Stick to our play, stick to our game. It’s a very, very good test. It’s against one of the best teams in the world, so it’s perfect [for us]. You want to always have good competition and you always want to face the best teams in the world.”
Read more about what Son has had to say ahead of the north London derby, here.