Daily Cannon

Tottenham Hotspur are likely to be without Guglielmo Vicario for the next north London derby, with the goalkeeper undergoing ankle surgery this week.

Tottenham Hotspur confirmed on Monday that goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has undergone surgery on a fractured ankle, having played much of the weekend’s match against Manchester City after suffering the injury.

Though the club didn’t give a timeframe for Vicario’s absence, he certainly won’t be back for at least a few weeks, and early reports suggest it will be months.

Tom Barclay writes that it will indeed be months out, and Samuel Meade writes for the Mirror that the goalkeeper is not expected back until after January.

Arsenal are set to play Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League fixture at the Emirates Stadium on January 15th. So unless Vicario makes a miraculously speedy recovery, he won’t be available for the match.

In some ways, that might not be a good thing for Arsenal. The Gunners have dominated Vicario on set pieces in recent fixtures, and whichever goalkeeper comes in will likely be an improvement in that regard.

But Arsenal will likely fancy their chances of putting a backup goalkeeper under pressure in possession.

As for which goalkeeper might take Vicario’s place, Fraser Forster is next in line, but there’s already been talk that Spurs might look to sign another goalkeeper in January to fill in.

The coming weeks should provide a clearer picture of how long Vicario is set to be out, and how Spurs intend to deal with his absence.

Former Gunner Harry Clarke made a cheeky gesture in the direction of the Tottenham Hotspur supporters after Ipswich Town’s win at their ground on Sunday.

Ipswich Town earned their first Premier League win in over 20 years at the weekend, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at their own ground.

The victory probably couldn’t have come against a better team for 23-year-old Harry Clarke, with the defender having spent many years in the Arsenal academy.

Clarke only left Arsenal for Ipswich in 2023, joining them in League One. But after back-to-back promotions, he’s now part of their Premier League squad.

Clarke wasn’t involved in the starting lineup against Spurs on Sunday, having only just returned from a red-card suspension. But he still managed to end up on camera after the game for a cheeky gesture towards the Spurs fans.

As he walked off the field, Clarke made a double middle-finger sign, with a wide smile on his face.

Though Clarke’s return to the top flight came sooner than expected thanks to those consecutive promotions, he’s had to be patient with regards to Premier League opportunities.

After Achilles surgery in the summer, Clarke has only been fit and available for selection since the start of October. Then he picked up that red card at the end of the month, ruling him out of their first game in November.

Having returned to the bench for the win over Spurs, the youngster will now hope to break into the lineup after the international break.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has aimed a dig at Tottenham Hotspur in his autobiography Believe, which was released this week.

Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko has released an autobiography this week, writing about his playing career and the fallout from the Ukraine War.

But one section Arsenal fans might enjoy comes from long before the player’s spell with the Gunners.

“In 2010, I read an interview with French defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto,” Zinchenko wrote (via Jordan Davies).

“He said: ‘I don’t know why everyone lies. I play football for the money. It’s my job, not my passion.'”

“I was very young and really didn’t understand that attitude at the time,” Zinchenko continued. “Actually, I still don’t understand it today.

“To me, football is happiness, a dream. I could never see it as just a job; I love the game far too much.

“Maybe he didn’t enjoy it because he played for Tottenham Hotspur? That can’t be a lot of fun.”

Though he’s still made more appearances for City than Arsenal, Zinchenko is in his third season in north London, so he’s got a good feel for the north London derby.

The defender has played in three of them, with Arsenal winning the first two and drawing the third. Zinchenko was then on the bench for the 3-2 win away from home last season and he was out injured for the 1-0 win in September.

So Arsenal are yet to lose a game against Spurs since Zinchenko’s arrival, which probably doesn’t help with the player’s view of the club.

Manchester City had a much worse record against Spurs, though Zinchenko only ever started in one defeat to the side. From his other three starts, City won twice and drew once.

Since that Assou-Ekotto interview in 2010, one thing Zinchenko has never seen Spurs win is a trophy. You can understand why he might think playing for the club is a bit depressing.

Tottenham Hotspur have issued a warning to their supporters regarding offensive chanting directed at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and other discriminatory slurs.

The club’s intervention comes in response to chants involving Arteta and their new striker Dominic Solanke, as well as homophobic language targeted towards Manchester United‘s Mason Mount.

In an email sent to season ticket holders ahead of Tottenham’s Premier League clash against West Ham United, the club underscored its ‘zero-tolerance approach’ to all forms of discriminatory behaviour.

Spurs highlighted that stewards would be equipped with body cameras to identify offenders, emphasising that the club remains committed to eradicating such behaviour from the stands.

The controversial chants were heard during Tottenham’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United last month, with specific reference to Arsenal boss Arteta, and derogatory terms aimed at Mount, including the term ‘rent boy’, which the Crown Prosecution Service considers a homophobic hate crime.

“We should firstly like to thank our fans for their cooperation ahead of the Brighton away fixture, at which there were no reports of homophobic chanting,” read the email sent to Spurs season ticket holders, congratulating fans for clearing the lowest bar possible. “We will not be complacent and are reminding supporters that the club takes a zero-tolerance approach to all discrimination.”

The message continued: “Our stewards will once again be wearing body cams to identify individuals involved in unacceptable chanting, so the club can take the strongest possible action. This includes the Dominic Solanke chant with reference to Mikel Arteta and any use of the term ‘rent boy’.”

The explicit warning from Spurs has been backed by anti-discrimination campaign groups, including Proud Lilywhites, the club’s LGBT supporters’ group, and Kick It Out, who have called for stronger actions across football to combat homophobic and abusive chanting.

During the summer, Kick It Out reported that they had “received 1,332 reports in the 2023/24 season, the highest number ever received by the anti-discrimination and inclusion charity in a single season.”

Speaking last season about the ‘rent boy’ chant ahead of their game against Chelsea, Proud Lilywhites, wrote, “If the ‘RB’ chant wasn’t homophobic, nobody would bother. It’s used precisely to be insulting and hateful, and when the affected community tells you it’s homophobic (we’re doing it right now!) and explains the impact, please hear us. It’s also exposing a new generation of young fans to words and terms that provoke questions they shouldn’t have to ask.

“We’ve all heard it; we know it’s homophobic (despite some proclamations that it’s not) so please don’t use it and challenge those around you that do…”

The message from Spurs is clear, as it should be from all clubs: discrimination in any form will not be tolerated.

Gabriel Martinelli is both Arsenal’s fastest player and also their most frequent sprinter, according to the stats so far this season.

According to Opta statistics, Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli is the fifth fastest player in the Premier League. Only Spurs’ Micky van de Ven, Carlos Forbs of Wolves, Anthony Elanga of Nottingham Forest, and Erling Haaland of Manchester City are quicker.

As a result, the Brazilian is the Gunners’ quickest player, with a top speed of 35.6 km/h.

The BBC report that Martinelli is also putting that speed to good use. Not only is he the quickest, he’s also completing more sprints than any other Arsenal player – 119 so far this season.

That’s particularly impressive in context, as eight players have played more minutes than Martinelli for Arsenal this season. He’s only played 442 of 630 league minutes, whilst four members of Mikel Arteta’s squad have played all 630.

From the league’s five fastest players, all four of the others have completed fewer sprints than Martinelli, and neither van de Ven nor Forbs even lead their respective clubs for sprints completed.

Yet Martinelli isn’t the frontrunner for all of Arsenal’s running statistics. Though he sprints more often than anyone else, he can’t match Kai Havertz for distance completed.

The German leads Arsenal with 77km completed in seven games, an average of 11km per match.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that both players have had enforced rests to nurse injuries over the current international break. They’re clearly working hard on matchdays.

After narrowly missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City by two points last season, Arsenal entered the 2024/25 campaign with a point to prove.

With Manchester City facing the reality of their 115 charges, the expectation was clear: Arsenal had to demonstrate their title credentials from the very first whistle. And that’s exactly what Mikel Arteta’s side has done, rising to every challenge and overcoming every hurdle set before them in the early stages of this season.

The season opener at home to Wolves provided the first test.

Wolves, a side that has often caused Arsenal issues in the past, represented a tricky challenge, but Arteta’s men handled the situation with ease. A 2-0 win, capped by a clean sheet, was the ideal way to kickstart their season.

It wasn’t just the result that impressed but the control with which Arsenal navigated the match, keeping Wolves at bay and avoiding any slip-ups in a fixture that has previously tripped them up.

Next, Arsenal travelled to Villa Park, a venue that held bitter memories for the Gunners.

Last season, a defeat at the hands of Unai Emery’s Aston Villa played a crucial role in Arsenal’s title challenge failing, with the former Arsenal manager leaving north London with three points in a late-season encounter.

Arsenal needed to prove they could right the wrongs of the previous campaign and overcome a Villa side that had bested them twice in the last campaign. And that’s exactly what they did, claiming a hard-fought 2-0 win that felt as much about redemption as it did about the three points.

Withstanding Villa’s aggressive pressing and dangerous counter-attacks, Arsenal demonstrated grit, resilience, and an ability to grind out results in difficult circumstances.

Back at home against Brighton, Arsenal faced yet another stern test. The Seagulls have become one of the Premier League’s most unpredictable sides, capable of turning over any team on their day.

However, the key moment in this fixture came not from the opposition, but from Arsenal’s own midfield general, Declan Rice. Rice was shown a ridiculous red card, leaving Arsenal with 10 men for the remainder of the game.

It could have been a disaster for a team still haunted by their near-miss last season. Instead, Arsenal dug deep and managed to hold Brighton at bay, securing a vital point in a match that could have easily slipped away.

Then came the North London Derby, a fixture always fraught with tension, but this time the stakes felt even higher. Arsenal travelled to Tottenham’s new stadium, a ground where they have now enjoyed more success in the past five years than their opponents have at the Emirates Stadium in the last 18 (two wins at the Emirates versus three wins at Spurs’ new home).

With injuries to key players, including captain Martin Ødegaard, who picked up an ankle injury while on international duty with Norway, and Rice serving a suspension, Arsenal’s chances were written off by many before the match even began.

But Arsenal produced another defensive masterclass. A depleted side showed incredible discipline and tactical awareness, frustrating Spurs at every turn. The match was decided by a familiar strength for Arsenal this season—set-pieces.

Once again, they capitalised on a dead-ball situation to score the decisive goal, with a resilient backline ensuring they left Tottenham’s ground with all three points. The win not only extended their dominant run over their fierce rivals but also sent a strong message to the rest of the league that this Arsenal side can weather any storm, regardless of the circumstances.

The significance of Arsenal’s early season form goes beyond individual results. They have yet to concede a goal away from home, showcasing a defensive solidity that has been pivotal to their growing success. Since the start of 2024, Arsenal have conceded just three goals in 10 away games—an astounding record that underlines their transformation under Mikel Arteta from fragile wannabes to this resilient title contenders.

Even when faced with the physical and mental fatigue of a tough fixture list, injuries to key players, and moments of adversity like unfair red cards, Arsenal have consistently found a way to pass the tests set before them.

From the crucial win at Villa Park to the hard-earned draw against Brighton, and the crucial victory over Spurs, Arteta’s team has shown they have learned from last season’s heartbreak and are ready to push Manchester City all the way again.

In the coming weeks, Arsenal will face further challenges, none bigger than the upcoming clash with City, but if their early form is any indication, they are more than capable of handling what comes next.

The season is still in its infancy and there are many more tests to be faced and passed, not least in the few days.

But Arteta’s side is proving that they aren’t just title contenders—they’re problem solvers, a team built not just on flair but on grit and determination to go one better than last season, just as they have in every season under the Spaniard.

Arsenal have players in the WhoScored and BBC Teams of the Week following Sunday’s derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

Following Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, there were a number of players arguably in contention for the various Teams of the Week.

WhoScored selected two Gabriels for the honour, with Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli both featuring in their side.

Gabriel Magalhaes was an obvious pick, with the defender helping to keep a clean sheet at one end and scoring the winning goal at the other. WhoScored’s Sam Hammond highlighted his two tackles, two blocks, and eight clearances as well as the goal.

As for Martinelli, Hammond points to the winger’s two chances created, six successful dribbles, three tackles, three clearances, and 11 duels won on the day.

The BBC’s Troy Deeney also selected Gabriel for his Team of the Week, praising the defender’s “great header for the goal” and a “monstrous display from Arsenal defensively”.

Deeney went on to suggest that both Gabriel and William Saliba impressed in the derby, but the Brazilian had the edge thanks to his goal.

The BBC team also included former Gunner Emile Smith Rowe, after his assist for Fulham at the weekend. Deeney wrote that Smith Rowe “probably had to leave Arsenal to go to a smaller pond and be that big fish”, calling the midfielder’s display “excellent”.

Arsenal will need a couple more big performances from their key players this week, with Atalanta away on Thursday followed by Manchester City away on Sunday.

The upside is that after this week of tough away fixtures, Arsenal will enter a run of four straight home games. They just need to get through the next six days first.

Cesc Fabregas’ pre-game comments about Ethan Nwaneri are worth looking at again after the 17-year-old’s cameo against Tottenham Hotspur.

With Martin Odegaard’s injury on international duty, Mikel Arteta had a choice to make about Ethan Nwaneri.

The midfielder has still never made a start for Arsenal, and the sum total of his senior minutes was just 14 ahead of Sunday’s game, away to Tottenham Hotspur.

Yet with Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira gone, Arteta was lacking experienced alternatives to Odegaard. Could he afford to use Nwaneri in a game of this magnitude?

Speaking about the possibility ahead of the match, former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas suggested that Arteta wouldn’t just throw Nwaneri on for the sake of it. He’d only use the teenager if he felt he was ready for it.

“I have no doubts if Mikel puts him in the starting 11 or even during the game, it’s because he’s seen that he’s good enough to make an impact,” Fabregas said.

“Obviously, the consequences of Rice and Odegaard being out makes it a little bit faster than maybe what he would have liked.

“If he’s part of the squad, it’s because he [Arteta] really believes he can bring something to the table.”

In the end, Nwaneri did come on at a crucial point in the game, playing the last 10 minutes as a replacement for Bukayo Saka with Arsenal just 1-0 up. And he made the most of those minutes.

The youngster’s touch was that of a seasoned pro on a couple of occasions, helping the team to get up the pitch and keeping his head to play smart passes.

Nwaneri’s late block on a shot by Heung-min Son showed he was also willing to work out of possession to get the result across the line.

As Fabregas points out, if Arteta trusts Nwaneri enough to throw him on late in a north London derby, it’s because he believes he can handle it. On this occasion, the teenager proved him right.

Sky Sports pundits have argued that Gabriel Magalhaes fouled Cristian Romero in the build-up to his goal against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Sky Sports pundits Les Ferdinand and Paul Merson looked at Gabriel Magalhaes’ goal against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, with a particular focus on the build-up to the header.

Before jumping for the ball, Gabriel pushed Cristian Romero as the Spurs defender tried to block his run. With Romero out of the way, it was a free header and a simple goal.

But the question was raised as to whether the contact was enough for a free-kick to be given.

“If a centre-forward does that, the referee gives a foul against him,” Ferdinand said. “They (VAR) don’t even look at it.

“He does need to be stronger, it’s poor defending, but he does get a shove in his back.”

“I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get a foul,” Merson added. “He’s in the wrong position, everything’s wrong about his defending…[but] I’d expect a foul.”

The comments are interesting, given they’re in direct contrast to what fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said about a reverse incident involving Gabriel last season.

On that occasion, Newcastle United’s Joelinton pushed Gabriel to the ground to get to the ball, but Neville argued that it wasn’t a foul.

“There’s an angle where it looks like a foul because Joelinton’s got his arms out, but that’s not a foul for me,” Neville said. “Gabriel’s thrown himself forward…for me, that isn’t a foul.

“In the end, there’s no conclusive evidence. There was nothing that told me strongly enough that that wasn’t a goal.”

Arsenal fans will be pleased that they’re on the other side of the decision this time around, even if the Sky pundits continue to suggest the calls should have gone against them.

Bukayo Saka’s early exit from Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur sparked concerns, with the talented winger seen limping off late in the game.

However, reports suggest that Saka’s substitution was due to cramp rather than a serious injury, and Arsenal are hopeful that he will be fit to play in their upcoming fixtures against Atalanta and Manchester City.

Cramp is a common issue in football, particularly for players like Saka who are regularly involved in high-intensity matches. It occurs when muscles become fatigued, often due to dehydration, overuse, or electrolyte imbalances, and it can cause temporary but painful contractions.

While cramp isn’t considered a serious injury, it can restrict a player’s ability to continue, as was the case with Saka on Sunday.

In recent weeks, Saka’s workload has been particularly demanding. In less than a month, he has played six matches, including four for Arsenal and two for England during the international break.

This has amounted to a total of 500 minutes on the pitch: 344 minutes across four matches for Arsenal and another 156 minutes for England.

Given that Saka only appeared twice in pre-season, the rapid increase in match time may have taken a toll on his muscles, making him more susceptible to cramping.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed uncertainty following the match, saying, “I don’t know [what Saka’s problem is]. I made two changes with the front players and suddenly he’s down. I don’t know exactly what it is but he could not continue.”

Despite Arteta’s cautious comments, reports from The Standard suggest that Arsenal are confident the issue is not serious, and that Saka’s removal was largely precautionary.

Saka’s resilience on the pitch is well-known, as he has built a reputation for his remarkable fitness and consistency.

Since breaking into the Arsenal first team, Saka has been a constant presence, rarely sidelined for extended periods.

Although he has experienced some minor setbacks – such as a thigh injury in October 2023 that kept him out for 18 days and an unspecified injury in March 2024 that sidelined him for 16 days – Saka has generally managed to avoid long-term injuries.

Other knocks, like a dead leg in 2021 and a minor hamstring strain in 2020, only kept him out for a few days at a time, underscoring his ability to recover quickly.

This season, Saka’s form has been pivotal for Arsenal. He has either scored or assisted in every match for the club, a testament to his importance in Mikel Arteta’s setup.

His assist was vital during the intense North London derby, where Saka took the corner from which Gabriel scored, before being forced off late on.

The physical demands on Saka have been immense, especially with the added pressure of international duty. In the recent international break, he played two full matches for England, which compounded the workload he was already carrying at Arsenal. The quick turnaround between games, along with his limited pre-season action, likely contributed to his cramp against Tottenham.

As Arsenal prepare for their Europa League clash against Atalanta and a crucial Premier League meeting with Manchester City, Saka’s availability will be vital.

The Gunners will be hoping their star winger can recover fully in time for these fixtures.

Arsenal‘s next training session, scheduled to be open to the media, will provide a clearer picture of Saka’s fitness.

If he participates, it will confirm the cramp was a minor issue. However, if he is absent, it may suggest the situation is more concerning than initially thought.

Saka‘s ability to stay fit, even with his heavy match load, has been a significant factor in Arsenal’s success in recent years. While his recent cramp scare might serve as a reminder of the physical toll professional football can take, Arsenal are hopeful this will not hinder his participation in the crucial upcoming matches.