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Arsenal fans have been left furious after Jarred Gillett was named as the referee for Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham.

Gillett, 37, was the referee for the Gunners’ opening Premier League game of the season as they defeated Wolves 2-0 at the Emirates last month.

The Australian official angered Arsenal supporters in that match when he didn’t send off Wolves star Yerson Mosquera after he grabbed Kai Havertz by the throat.

Last season, Gillett disallowed a last-minute Havertz goal against Aston Villa, which has also been referenced by Arsenal fans on social media before the derby.

‘How is it that there are 21 Premier League referees yet after 4 games this season we would have already had Jarred bloody Gillett twice,’ @afc_richard posted on X.

‘Just to add insult to our injuries, the useless Jarred Gillett is Sunday’s ref,’ @willow1886 added. ‘They really do hate us.’

Analysing the decision to not send off Mosquera in Arsenal’s win over Wolves, @clockendsniper said: ‘Jarred Gillett didn’t even think this was worthy of a yellow card let alone red. Despite his history with us will now be in charge in 2 of our first 4 games.’

Arsenal supporter @marky249 suggested that the assistant referees and VAR would be made up of Spurs legends and famous fans after Gillett’s appointment.

‘Tottenham – #Arsenal on Sunday: Referee: Jarred Gillett,’ he posted. ‘Assistants: Glenn Hoddle, Jamie O’Hara. Fourth official: Ledley King. VAR: Lord Alan Sugar.’

Another Arsenal fan pointed out that Gillett is the same nationality as Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou.

‘Jarred Gillett… Australian football referee,’ @highburyhigh posted. ‘Will ref for Ange NLD derby on Sunday, can they not actually find referees that are signed to the actual clubs we play?

‘Surely just being from that area doesn’t count anymore why doesn’t he just come out in a Spurs shirt? Fix.’

Gunners supporter @toneharper10 said: ‘A reminder that Jarred Gillett gave a controversial penalty to Brisbane Roar in a Grand Final at a time his girlfriend worked for the club, which was then coached by…. Ange Postecoglou.’

Arsenal will be wearing their changed black strip in the north London derby this weekend after a ruling from PGMOL and the Premier League.

GIven that the Gunners play in red and Tottenham in white shirts, the two teams usually wear their home kits when they face each other in the local derby.

However, this season Arsenal’s red home kit has too much white on it, according to Professional Game Match Officials Limited and the Premier League, which means they will have to way their changed strip on Sunday at Spurs.

When Spurs go to the Emirates in January they will wear their away strip as well, thanks to the ruling from the powers-that-be.

Arsenal have already played and won in their black kit this season, picking up a 2-0 victory at Aston Villa in August.

On the release of the attractive kit, with red, green and white trim, the club said: ‘It has been designed to celebrate the rich and well-established connection that our club has to the African diaspora in North London and beyond.

‘Designed in collaboration with adidas and distinguished British African heritage brand, Labrum London, it celebrates our players and supporters of African heritage, who are an instrumental part of our club.’

Arsenal go to Tottenham with seven points from their first three games, drawing with Brighton on their last outing.

Spurs have picked up four points so far after defeat to Newcastle last time out.

Mikel Arteta’s side have had the better of the recent fixtures against their fierce rivals, with five wins and a draw in their last seven meetings.

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Arsenal’s preparations for Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham have been further hampered after an international break riddled with injury scares.

The Gunners were already preparing for the crunch fixture without the services of Declan Rice who picked up his first career red card in bizarre fashion against Brighton.

But Mikel Arteta’s side suffered yet another setback in midfield after captain Martin Odegaard had to be helped off the pitch by Norway’s medical staff in the second half of a Nations League match against Austria.

Mikel Merino is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, too, with a shoulder injury, while fellow summer signing Riccardo Calafiori is also doubtful after picking up a knock with Italy.

Such a mountain of injuries leaves Arteta bereft of options, particularly in central midfield, and perhaps forced to experiment in his biggest game of the season so far.

Ahead of Sunday’s fixture, here’s a look at three ways the Spaniard could line up his Arsenal side.

Sterling straight in and Havertz deeper

Arsenal’s new loanee has had the international break to acclimatise to his latest surroundings but Arteta could be forced to throw him in the deep end against Tottenham.

The England international has 11 goal contributions in 21 appearances against Spurs and would likely replace Gabriel Martinelli on the left side who has flattered to deceive so far this campaign.

That would mean dropping Kai Havertz a bit deeper into an advanced midfield role, with the German then expected to help out the midfield pairing of Thomas Partey and Jorginho behind him.

Against a Spurs side that will be happy to commit bodies forward, a pacey attacking quartet – spearheaded by Leandro Trossard – could punish Ange Postecoglou’s side to great effect.

Trust in youth

If Arteta is feeling bold against his north London rivals, perhaps it could be time to take a gamble on youngster Ethan Nwaneri.

The 17-year-old has been an unused substitute for the Gunners’ first three league games but caught the eye in pre-season and could now be trusted with his first competitive start.

The teenager’s dynamism, in particular, could provide a nice counterbalance for the ageing Partey and Jorginho who could prove vulnerable to Spurs’ energetic midfield and gung-ho style.

Experiment with Timber

Oleksandr Zinchenko has usually been the defender trusted in more advanced midfielder positions, but Arteta has already hinted this season that Jurrien Timber could now be the man to take on that responsibility.

‘He can play in various positions. His versatility is one of his biggest strengths,’ he previously said of the Dutchman.

‘He played some quality minutes the other day. Having that capacity to find what the squad is needing in that minute is really valued.’

While Timber has impressed at left-back this campaign, moving the 23-year-old up the pitch could provide a similar energy to Nwaneri but with an added defensive rigidity if the Gunners are keen to stifle Spurs.

Zinchenko could then slot in at left-back if Calafiori has not recovered from his slight ankle issue.

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Martin Keown has backed Arsenal to get the better of Tottenham this weekend but insists there is ‘not too much between the two teams’ ahead of the north London derby.

Arsenal, last year’s runners-up in the Premier League, won their two opening games of the season in convincing fashion at home to Wolves and away to Unai Emery’s dangerous Aston Villa.

But the Gunners’ 100 per cent record in the English top flight was brought to a halt by Brighton, with Joao Pedro cancelling out Kai Havertz’s strike to silence the Emirates faithful before the international break.

Mikel Arteta’s men have the perfect opportunity to bounce back on Sunday afternoon against their arch-rivals Spurs, who suffered defeat last time out away to Newcastle.

However, Arsenal could be without several of their key players for the eagerly anticipated contested at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Declan Rice is serving a one-match suspension after being sent off against Brighton, while summer signing Riccardo Calafiori and club captain Martin Odegaard picked up injuries during the break.

According to ex-Arsenal and England defender Keown, Arteta’s side will likely have to be at their best to emerge from the derby with maximum points.

‘I like what Spurs are doing, I like the way they play, the unity in the stadium, the togetherness,’ Keown said on talkSPORT.

‘It’s a difficult situation. I think maybe now they will be concentrating more on themselves. The last time Arsenal went there it was more about stopping Arsenal from becoming champions.

‘Now maybe the new manager is setting a new culture and they have got their own trophies they want to win. It’s been a long time. We have to respect Spurs.

‘It’s difficult. You want to go there with your best players but they’re not there. Calafiori is another one who has picked up an injury, [Mikel] Merino, the new signing, the one who would have come in for Rice, it’s not been a lucky start for Arsenal.

‘What they have to do now is make their own luck and go into that cauldron and come out with some points.

‘There’s not too much between the two teams while there has been this period without a trophy.’

Keown believes Dominic Solanke will be looking at the derby as a possible ‘springboard’ at the start of his Tottenham career following a big-money summer move from Bournemouth.

‘It’s been 21 years now that Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League. God knows how long it has been since Spurs won a trophy worth picking up so they’re in a similar boat. Arsenal have won copious amounts of FA Cups,’ Keown added.

‘Son [Heung-min] is a player that might be the difference, [Dejan] Kulusevski, they’re looking at [Dominic] Solanke now coming in.

‘He’s been out, maybe he’s had a good period for him and this is the springboard for the start of his career at Spurs, proper.’

Asked whether it would be a shock if Spurs beat Arsenal, Keown replied: ‘I think it probably would, yeah.

‘I think it would be a huge blow, that’s for certain but I don’t see that happening.

‘I think Arsenal are still good enough, when you look at how many goals they’ve conceded in recent times, the number of clean sheets away from home.

‘Their away record: that’s when you start to look at Arsenal and think they’ve got that pedigree of champions because their away record is quite phenomenal.

Pressed for a prediction, Keown responded: ‘I’m always going to go with Arsenal.

‘But if you earn anything at Spurs now, when you go away from home, they won’t lose too many games and you earn everything you get now to play at Spurs.’

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Manchester United were one of three teams interested in signing Cristian Romero this summer with Tottenham refusing to listen to offers for their centre-half.

Romero initially joined Tottenham on loan from Atalanta in 2021 with the move made permanent the following year in a deal worth £46million.

The 26-year-old has developed into one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League, forming an impressive partnership under Micky van de Ven under Ange Postecouglou in north London having also played a key role in Argentina’s recent World Cup and Copa America triumphs.

TYC Sports report there was substantial interest in Romero during the summer transfer window with United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain showing interest in luring him away from Spurs.

Tottenham however informed the three clubs that their prized defender was not for sale, refusing to enter any negotiations or even put a price on him.

Romero is viewed as a crucial player at Tottenham with the report stating the coaching staff and management team were in agreement now was not the time to cash in.

But TYC claim interest is likely to re-emerge next summer, when Romero will have two years left on his contract.

A move to United would have seen Romero link up with his international teammate Lisandro Martinez at the heart of United’s defence, with the two now the first choice pairing for the international team.

United sought to revamp their defensive options during the summer transfer window with Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Willy Kambwala among those leaving the club.

Erik ten Hag’s side saw off interest from Real Madrid to sign Leny Yoro from Lille in a £52m deal, securing the services of a defender regarded as one of the best young talents in European football.

Yoro suffered a broken metatarsal in his second appearances for the club in a pre-season clash against Arsenal in July and is not expected to return until November.

Having failed in their pursuit of Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, United also signed Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich for £42m.

Tottenham host Arsenal in the first north London derby of the season on Sunday with Declan Rice set to miss out.

The Gunners won their opening two games of the new Premier League season but were held to a 1-1 draw in a bad-tempered clash with Brighton last Saturday.

Rice was sent off in what is already a leading candidate to be the most controversial decision of the season that afternoon, given a second booking after delaying the restart before being clattered himself by Joel Veltman.

It serves as a huge blow for Mikel Arteta who is also without new signing Mikel Merino. The Spain midfielder completed his move to north London in the final week of the summer transfer window but was injured in his very first training session with the club after a collision with Gabriel Magalhaes.

Merino has suffered a fractured shoulder with Arsenal expecting him to be unavailable until after the next international break in mid-October.

It leaves the Arsenal manager with the option of Jorginho to come into the side to join Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey in midfield.

Raheem Sterling is pushing to make his debut with a week of training with his new side under his belt. Gabriel Martinelli has struggled to make an impact so far this season with Leandro Trossard’s best work to date coming off the bench.

Arteta has been eager for his deadline day signing to get involved ‘as soon as possible’ and will hope he can have some role to play this weekend.

Arsenal have been without injured duo Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney for the start of the season with Gabriel Jesus joining the absentee list, missing the games against Aston Villa and Brighton with a groin injury.

Arteta is expected to provide a latest injury update on the Brazil international later this week but appeared confident his forward had avoided a lengthy spell on the sidelines when he spoke before the Brighton game.

The Gunners boss has been made to sweat during the international break with Riccardo Calafiori involved in a nasty collision with France’s Ousmane Dembele on Friday.

The Italy international received treatment for a calf injury on the pitch before being replaced. While Azzurri boss Luciano Spalletti suggested there was no serious injury, Calafiori left the squad over the weekend to return to his club for further assessment.

Martin Odegaard meanwhile came off with a knock against Brighton but eased any fears after joining up with the Norway squad.

Tottenham meanwhile will hope to have Micky van de Ven available. The Netherlands international started the first two games of the season but missed the defeat at Newcastle United after being deemed ‘not quite 100 per cent’ by Ange Postecoglou, missing Nations League games as a result.

The Spurs boss insisted the knock was ‘nothing serious’, a precautionary measure perhaps given the packed fixture list over the next few weeks.

Dominic Solanke’s situation is less clear. An ankle injury on his debut against Leicester City has seen him miss the last two games. Poestecoglou however did suggest his £65million signing was close to being fit for the Newcastle game and could have a role to play in this weekend’s derby.

‘Dom is close but we’re going to be a bit cautious with him, we’ve got a big programme post the international break, so he’ll miss out on Sunday,’ Postecoglou said.

Richarlison meanwhile remains sidelined.

Predicted Tottenham XI to face Arsenal

Viacario, Porro, van de Ven, Romero, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Kulusevski, Son, Odobert.

Predicted Arsenal XI to face Tottenham

Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel. Timber, Odegaard, Partey, Jorginho, Saka, Havertz, Trossard

Where to watch Man Utd vs Liverpool? Kick-off time and TV channel

Tottenham vs Arsenal kicks off at 2pm on Sunday 15 September.

Live coverage is available on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has raised concerns over Martin Odegaard’s fitness, revealing the Arsenal captain has picked up another knock while on international duty.

Odegaard suffered a blow to his ankle in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton last weekend and was substituted in the 73rd minute, with Gabriel Martinelli coming on in his place at the Emirates.

The midfielder seemed to shake off the injury and travelled with the rest of Norway’s squad for the side’s Nations League opener with Kazakhstan, but there are now some doubts surrounding his potential involvement in Almaty.

While Odegaard has been pictured in training with his fellow countrymen, it appears the former Real Madrid man has picked up ‘another bang’, in addition to the knock he sustained versus Brighton.

‘I don’t think that [the Brighton knock] is what it is,’ Norway manager Solbakken told reporters when asked of Odegaard was carrying an injury from the Brighton match.

‘I think it’s another bang, I was about to say.

‘I think it is something other than the bang, so to speak.’

A fresh injury to Odegaard would come as a major concern to Mikel Arteta ahead of Arsenal’s upcoming north London derby with Spurs in the Premier League.

However, there are still ten days to go before Arsenal’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Arteta’s men will look to return to winning ways after dropping points against the Seagulls.

The Gunners will no doubt be hoping the Norway national team treat Odegaard’s fitness with care and caution.

Solbakken believes Odegaard has grown both on and off the pitch in the time they have worked together with the national side.

‘He has experienced fantastic development as a player and a person,’ he added.

‘He has developed a lot both on and off the field during the time we have been together.

‘He got the captain’s armband straight away and is a completely different personality both on and off the field now.’

After a number of loan moves, Solbakken feels Odegaard has benefitted massively from finding stability at Arsenal.

‘He’s now got a “permanent club”, you can say, with a contract instead of being a “foreign player”, and it has been very good for his development,’ Solbakken continued.

‘We see that now and he is one of the highest profile players in the Premier League.’

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Ange Postecoglou has given an injury update on Tottenham star Micky van de Ven with the North London Derby against Arsenal on the horizon.

Van de Ven has been a vital player for Spurs since joining the club last summer with Postecoglou’s side often struggling in his absence.

There was naturally great concern then when the centre-back appeared to badly hurt his knee during the 4-0 win over Everton last weekend though he managed to play the full 90 minutes.

And after the manager didn’t mention him in his pre-match press conference, it was assumed he would be fit for Sunday’s clash at Newcastle United.

But the Dutchman didn’t make the trip to St. James Park, with Radu Dragusin taking his place, one of two changes to Tottenham’s starting XI, with Pape Sarr also replacing Brennan Johnson.

It’s a huge blow for Tottenham and even more concerning when they’re next match is against arch-rivals Arsenal on September 15 after the international break.

However, Postecoglou has suggested that Van de Ven will be back in time for that match, saying his injury is ‘nothing serious’.

‘Micky was close in training this week but with the international break he’s not quite 100 per cent,’ the 59-year-old explained ahead of kick-off for the Magpies game.

‘Part of me was keen to give Radu a run, especially at this venue, so yeah we’re going with Radu today.’

Asked if it was disappointing, the manager replied: ‘No, not really. It’s nothing serious.

‘We’ve got a heaped programme straight after the international break so we’re going to need all our back four. So getting Radu a game today I think is a positive thing for us.’

Spurs also have injury issues up front, with centre-forwards Dominic Solanke and Richarlison both out for the Newcastle clash.

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Paul Merson has named new Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham stars as his top three best Premier League transfers of the summer window.

The English transfer window slammed shut last Friday night, with top-flight clubs splashing just over £2billion on new signings.

Once again, Chelsea forked out the most with new manager Enzo Maresca spending over £200million on 11 new players.

Just over a quarter of that went to prizing Pedro Neto away from Wolves, with the highly-rated winger previously a long-time target of rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.

Though Jamie Carragher previously slated the Blues’ transfer policy under Todd Boehly, he conceded that Neto was a good buy and Merson agrees.

‘I like Neto at Chelsea. I think if they can keep him fit and he can keep on getting on that football pitch, he’s unplayable,’ the Arsenal icon said on Twitter.

‘I think he’s top, top draw. The only problem though is if they can keep him fit.’

Neto has already made a positive start to life at Stamford Bridge, grabbing an assist against his former club in Chelsea’s 6-2 win against Molineux in August.

Listing his other two best signings of the summer, Merson includes another former Wolves player: ‘We’re always talking about forwards and attacking players, [but] I’m going to go for Max Kilman at West Ham.

‘I think he’s gone under the radar, he’s a top defender. You need good defenders in your team when you’ve got players bombing forward, that’s the name of the game.

‘For me, Kilman’s a real, real good signing, good centre-half, does what he says on the tin. I think he takes West Ham to the next level.’

Kilman has moved to the London Stadium for £40m, while across London Dominic Solanke joined Spurs from Bournemouth for a club record £65m.

‘I think he’s an outstanding signing for Tottenham, he takes them to the next level,’ Merson added.

‘He scores a lot of goals. I know he missed a few against Leicester City, but kept on getting in the positions and you’ve got to be there to miss them.’

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Arsenal star Declan Rice will miss the north London derby against Tottenham after being sent off against Brighton.

The Gunners midfielder was booked in the first-half of Saturday’s Premier League meeting after a strong challenge on Joel Veltman as he chased down a loose ball on the halfway line.

The England international was given his marching orders five minutes into the second period in a bizarre incident involving the same Brighton player.

Rice was penalised for a foul near the corner flag and attempted to delay the restart, knocking the ball away with the slightest of touches.

Veltman, in attempting to take the free kick quickly, swung a leg through the back of Rice just as he knocked the ball away. The Arsenal star was promptly shown a second yellow by referee Chris Kavanagh, sent off for the first time in his career.

Rice is set to serve a one-match suspension – ruling him out of the trip to Tottenham which immediately follows the international break on 15 September.

The former West Ham star was left bewildered by the decision with his teammates surrounding the match official, believing Veltman should have been the one sent off.

The Gunners had taken the lead in the first-half through a superb finish from Kai Havertz, who chipped the Brighton goalkeeper after excellent work from Bukayo Saka.

Less than 10 minutes after Rice’s red, Joao Pedro equalised for the visitors.

Rice’s absence for the north London derby will be complicated by the absence of new signing Mikel Merino.

The Spain international completed his move to the Emirates in the final week of the summer transfer window but suffered a fractured shoulder in his very first training session with the club.

Merino was pictured with his arm in a sling watching the action on Saturday afternoon.