The North London Derby was never going to be easy for Tottenham Hotspur.
The Premier League table does not lie and Arsenal are top and Spurs are battling relegation for a reason. If Igor Tudor was not aware of the scale of the task on his hands when taking the job as interim manager until the end of the season, he surely is now after watching his new charges turn in a sub-par performance, particularly in the second half, to lose 4-1 at home to Arsenal.
It was the exact same scoreline as Spurs lost by in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium in November under Thomas Frank and there was little more to be positive about this time around than there had been on that awful afternoon.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Painful Rebuild Claim Needs To Come True
Spurs did put up a bit of a fight in the first half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the atmosphere for the new boss was incredible early on. But they were insipid in the second period, never laying a glove on Arsenal, who ran out deserved winners.
It feels like the new manager at the end of the season, whether that be Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi or someone else, needs to rip everything up and start again.
Pochettino previously spoke about the need for a painful rebuild in 2019, before being sacked before being able to carry it through. He may find he is the one tasked with doing exactly that this summer.
There is blame for the hierarchy at Tottenham and there is obviously blame for the managers who have come and gone, but there is also blame for the players and some need to be moved on this summer. Here GIVEMESPORT takes a look at those who need to depart and those who it’s worth sticking by.
Tottenham Players Who Need To Go This Summer
Guglielmo Vicario – Has not really endeared himself to the fanbase and does not really fill supporters – and maybe the players in front of him – with much confidence. A change is required between the sticks.
Ben Davies – Out of contract in the summer and likely to move on as a result, particularly given he is out injured. Leadership qualities would be useful, but how useful have they actually been of late?
Djed Spence – Shows flashes of his talent, but does he do it enough? To be fair to him, does anyone in a Spurs shirt right now? One Spurs might be able to get a good fee from.
Pedro Porro – Good going forward, a bit of a liability going the other way. A big change is required in the full-back areas.
Cristian Romero – Spurs can make big money from their captain this summer, with a number of clubs interested. Supposed to be the club’s leader but is far too often unavailable.
Radu Dragusin – Was given the runaround by Viktor Gyokeres in the North London Derby. Not sure what he actually brings to the side. So often frustrates with loose headers, putting his team in danger.
Yves Bissouma – Was one of Spurs’ better performers against Arsenal but we’ve seen that too often. Comes to the fore for a couple of matches and then goes off the boil. At the end of his contract it’s time to say goodbye this summer.
Rodrigo Bentancur – Talented, that’s for sure, but is often unavailable due to injury and has been nowhere near the standards we’ve come to expect from him in the last two seasons.
Randal Kolo Muani – His goal against Arsenal aside, the loanee has done little to suggest he is worth signing on a permanent basis.
Richarlison – This is actually a really tough one, because when he’s available he gives it his all and you can never knock his work rate or the goals he scores, but he’s injured too often and you just can’t rely on him enough.
Manor Solomon, Ashley Phillips, Dane Scarlett – Three loanees do not have a future at the club and can go, although the others on loan need to come back in and be assessed by the new boss.
Tottenham Players I’m On The Fence About
Pape Matar Sarr – Sometimes I think he’s got a bright future, other times I think he’s a passenger. He’s young and still has time to find consistency.
Mohammed Kudus – Flattered to deceive sometimes when he was fit. Clearly talented, but sometimes ran down dark alleys or cut back with no clear plan.
Mathys Tel – A very talented young man who has not been given regular opportunities by any manager during his time at Spurs as yet. Is there a reason for that that we’re not seeing?
Antonin Kinsky – Haven’t seen enough of the young goalkeeper to warrant a snap decision on his future yet.
Tottenham Players Who Deserve To Stay
Micky van de Ven – Centre-back may have had some moments of indiscretion with managers, but is clearly one of the better defenders in this league and if he’s got the players around him to shine he will do so.
Kevin Danso – Has shown that he has what it takes to be a key player in this Spurs squad.
Destiny Udogie – You’re not going to find too many better left-backs. Needs extended time on the pitch.
Souza – New signing and a teenager who will take time to adapt to life in the Premier League.
Archie Gray – Has a lot to learn, but has suffered from a lack of ability around him. With the right players in place, he will only get better and better.
Lucas Bergvall – A lot has been asked of the youngster since he’s been at the club and he has always performed. He and Gray are the future of this club.
Joao Palhinha – May not be the most easy on the eye, but his dedication and his leadership will prove vital for the new manager.
Xavi Simons – Very talented but does not have enough of that talent around him to really shine. Will only get better in a better system and with better, confident players.
Wilson Odobert – Out for a long time with an ACL injury, which is a shame because he was starting to motor with a run in the team.
Conor Gallagher – New signing who will give it 100% no matter what. Has come into a sinking ship and it’s not his fault.
James Maddison – Always gives it his all and is a creative spark that Spurs have been sorely missing.
Dejan Kulusevski – Another that Spurs have missed this season. Spurs are a better team when he’s on the pitch.
Dominic Solanke – Has shown since he returned from injury he is a top quality forward.
Luka Vuskovic, Kota Takai, Mikey Moore, Yang min-hyeok – All young loan stars who need a proper look in pre-season.
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes has told the club he wishes to leave this summer to join Arsenal, according to David Ornstein.
The Magpies have already sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £70m, while Sandro Tonali completed a £100m move to Tottenham Hotspur this week, with Eddie Howe looking to rebuild his squad.
But they have now been rocked by the wishes of the Brazil international, with the Gunners ready to make a mega bid to take him to north London.
Bruno Guimaraes Tells Newcastle He Wants to Join Arsenal
via Reuters
Guimaraes has just finished representing Brazil at the World Cup, where he enjoyed an excellent tournament but couldn’t help the five-time winners past the Round of 16, where they were eliminated by Erling Haaland’s Norway side.
But he has now informed Newcastle bosses that he wishes to leave this summer after the club failed to qualify for Europe, and he wants to join Arsenal in the summer window.
The Gunners have made it clear they would be willing to pay up to £60m for the 28-year-old, and are now preparing to make a formal offer. No club-to-club contact has been made yet, although Arsenal did have a verbal enquiry worth around £55m rejected by the Magpies earlier this month.
Manchester United have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign midfielder Andrey Santos, according to David Ornstein.
The Red Devils have been in the market to bolster their midfield options this summer, but missed out on deals to sign their top targets Elliot Anderson and Matheus Fernandes, after they moved to Man City and Tottenham Hotspur for £116m and £85m respectively.
But INEOS have now secured their second midfield signing of the summer after agreeing a fee with Premier League rivals Chelsea for the Brazil international.
Man Utd Agree £50m Deal to Sign Andrey Santos
Santos, who has been described as ‘world-class’, has been a long-term target for INEOS, and a deal has now been struck worth a fixed fee of £48m, plus a further £2m in easily achievable add-ons for the 22-year-old.
Personal terms are already in place, and permission has now been given to the midfielder to undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a long-term contract at Old Trafford. Chelsea have also secured a 10% sell-on clause as part of the deal.
In what was perhaps the most dramatic game of the 2026 World Cup so far, Argentina came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2. Such as the drama, football legend Lionel Messi was seen in tears at the full-time whistle.
Egypt took the lead through Yasser Ibrahim as Messi missed a penalty to get his team back level. The side from Africa then saw one goal controversially ruled out before Mostafa Ziko scored to make it 2-0. At this moment, Argentina’s number 10 appeared to spark into life.
Cristian Romero pulled one back, and only four minutes later, Messi had levelled the scores. Enzo Fernandes would complete the remarkable comeback in the 93rd minute. Messi was in tears at the final whistle, later explaining his emotions to the press:
“I felt like I had let the team down at an important moment,” the 39-year-old said on his missed penalty. “But fortunately, fate had something special for me at the end, and I managed to score the equaliser.”
Thierry Henry Drops Verdict on Messi vs Egypt
Just one day prior, Cristiano Ronaldo had exited the pitch also in tears, as Spain beat Portugal to end his World Cup dreams for the final time. For Messi, this was a different kind of emotion, and former Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry provided some interesting insight into the scenes.
Speaking on Fox Sports, the pundit offered up an honest assessment of Messi’s tears. In a clip which has gone viral on numerous outlets, generating thousands of views and comments, he explained:
“First and foremost, he reminded us that he’s human, because he missed some penalties and four out of eight (at all World Cups). And then he reminds us again that he’s not human.
“I mean, I played with him, and with Leo, sometimes do not wake up the beast? That’s what happened, and I’ve seen it in training, closely. You know when you’re in training sometimes, and you know guys when when one of the coaches don’t want to call a foul or the ball was out, and then you score, and then Leo wanted that ball to be out and a foul, and then he goes, ‘The ball went out’, and the coach was like, ‘Stop complaining, because it can happen in the game.’
“Next thing you know, you look at his eyes and he switches, and he goes and get that ball. I was there. I witnessed it [in training at Barcelona]. He scores three goals in a row by scoring straight away, robbing the ball off you, scoring again, robbing the ball off you, scoring again, and he turns. He said, ‘Next time, call of foul’, and we all went. ‘Yeah, next time, call of foul’ because he’s just unstoppable. When he goes into that mood, he’s very difficult to stop.”
Egypt Manager Makes FIFA Messi Accusation After Argentina Defeat
“They want Argentina and Messi to stay in the World Cup for marketing. If they wanted Argentina to win, why invite other teams to participate? This match was clearly rigged, and the whole world witnessed it.
“We were better than Argentina, and football is unfair. We had a clear penalty that the referee didn’t award, and Ziko’s goal at the start of the second half was disallowed, even though it was perfectly legitimate.”
“The Egyptian Football Association cannot remain silent regarding the refereeing decisions witnessed during the match against Argentina as well as the failure to make appropriate use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game.
The statement concluded: “Every player who wears the Egyptian shirt, and every supporter who stands behind the team, deserves fairness, respect, and equal application of the laws of the game.”
Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals as they look to continue their trophy defence, having won the World Cup in 2022.
