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With three wins from their opening nine Premier League matches, Leeds United have already gone against the label that often falls onto newly promoted sides as being relegation fodder.

It might not be as spectacular as Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka-led efforts, but Daniel Farke’s Whites now find themselves on double digits in terms of points collected, with a much-needed 2-1 home win against West Ham United on Friday night also seeing the West Yorkshire outfit get one over on a potential relegation rival.

Yet again, Joe Rodon put in a valiant effort in the heart of Farke’s defence, with his standout display against Nuno Espirito Santo’s visitors further cementing his tag as Leeds’ “most important player”, as was handed to him at the start of the month by journalist Isaac Johnson.

Rodon's performance vs West Ham

The Welsh “warrior” – as he has also been lovingly labelled in the past by his manager – has gone on to be an ever-present part of the German’s side, ever since Rodon was just a much-loved loan option from Tottenham Hotspur.

Rodon didn’t miss a single Championship game last season as Leeds were crowned champions of the tricky division, and he has remained as one of the first names on the team sheet in the league above, too, and for very good reason.

The 28-year-old powerhouse would ensure the three points were sealed when heading home this corner unmarked, but it wasn’t just this effort beating Alphonse Aréola in the Hammers’ net that cemented his position in the Whites’ good books.

Indeed, Rodon would also finish the contest with a 92% pass accuracy intact as a calm and controlled operator on the ball, on top of nine clearances also being registered to ensure the likes of former Leeds star Crysencio Summerville were kept quiet.

If Leeds want to establish themselves as a formidable Premier League outfit and beat the drop come the end of the long campaign, they will need Rodon to keep up these imperious levels, with Farke very much aware of how much of an integral component he is to his team, having also once lauded him as “unbelievable” rock defensively.

However, another Leeds first-teamer is also deserving of his flowers, too, away from all the praise being dished out to the Swansea-born battler, with the star in question arguably putting in an even better performance than Rodon on Friday night.

The 9/10 star who was even better than Rodon

Ultimately, it was a team effort that got the narrow win over the line, with Lucas Perri in between the sticks, having to make sure he stayed alert, with two saves tallied up on his return to Farke’s starting lineup.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin also tirelessly threw himself into the contest, even if he didn’t add to his solitary Leeds strike, with the easily scapegoated number nine winning eight duels in total.

But, as much as everyone did largely play their part in a second home win of the season being secured, Brenden Aaronson stood out as an extremely bright spark with his sublime individual display.

Aaronson would steer his side to their third three points of the Premier League season when being in the right place at the right time to convert a rebound after just three minutes. Yet, on another day, he could have also been remembered in even more glowing terms for being the audacious ace who fired home this sensational solo effort.

Unfortunately, the crossbar would then intervene.

But, this well-worked effort agonisingly scraping the crossbar shouldn’t detract from Aaronson’s otherwise near faultless night, with the American – who was labelled as “anonymous” by journalist James Marshment just last season – arguably standing out even more than Rodon when judging his all-round game.

Aaronson’s performance in numbers

Stat

Aaronson

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

1

Assists

0

Touches

38

Shots

3

Accurate passes

11/15 (73%)

Key passes

2

Successful dribbles

3/3

Recoveries

4

Total duels won

8/12

Stats by Sofascore

Across the 90 minutes, away from grabbing his early goal, the revitalised number 11 would also successfully complete all three of his dribbles as a constant menace for West Ham to contain, on top of also winning 80% of his ground duels to further reinforce his liveliness.

Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth would reward Aaronson for his standout showing with a 9/10 rating post-match, with Smyth stating that the 25-year-old put in a “tonne of hard work” to help the 2-1 win be secured.

In time, Aaronson will hope that he’s viewed as an undroppable Rodon-like cog in the Leeds machine, with his blistering display against the Hammers very much boosting his position in Farke’s first team, moving forward into a busy November.

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The balls used for this year’s men’s and women’s competitions are from the same batch used in the T20 Blast

Matt Roller06-Aug-2025The ECB has ditched a controversial batch of white Kookaburra balls that was blamed for low scores in the Hundred last year after consistent negative feedback from players.Scoring rates in the men’s Hundred dipped to 1.37 runs per ball last season, significantly lower than other short-form leagues like the IPL, Major League Cricket and SA20 despite the shorter format in theory lending itself to more attacking batting. Specialist new-ball bowlers like Daniel Worrall and Tim Southee thrived, and players anecdotally blamed the batch of balls used.The balls used in the first four seasons of the Hundred had the tournament’s logo – a large ‘H’ – imprinted on them, which players felt required additional lacquer and gave them a ‘plasticky’ feel. “The seam seems to be massive,” Moeen Ali told the . “Every game, it seems the ball is nipping. Most teams are 30 for 5 in most games.”Kookaburra insisted that they were made to identical specifications as the white balls used in other domestic and international cricket, beyond the logo, while the ECB commissioned an extensive study over the winter which found minimal evidence that the balls behaved differently to those used in other white-ball cricket in England and Wales.Ball-tracking data did suggest a spike in seam movement and swing at the start of Hundred games in 2023 (compared to 2022), which continued last season. This was attributed primarily to pitches, weather, and the Hundred’s unique format – which allows bowlers to bowl 15 of the first 20 balls – rather than any change to the condition of the balls.But the ECB has opted to ditch the Hundred-branded balls regardless, reverting to the same batch used in the T20 Blast for the 2025 season. Their hope is that the switch will satisfy players after consistent negative feedback and that the perception of less assistance for bowlers will lead to higher scoring rates.The change made no apparent difference in Tuesday night’s curtain-raiser, with London Spirit’s men bowled out for 80 by Oval Invincibles on a slow, low surface. “It was a tough wicket to bat on,” Rashid Khan said, after taking 3 for 11 on debut for the two-time defending champions.

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O Corinthians não deve contratar a dupla de atacantes Deyverson e Romarinho. A idade considerada elevada de ambos pesa contra, e o clube tem uma prioridade definida no mercado.

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➡️ Garanta R$349 no Lance! Betting apostando R$100 na vitória do Corinthians sobre o América-RN com ambos marcando

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Por enquanto, a direção alvinegra estaria concentrada em conseguir contratar um segundo volante. A intenção é adquirir um jogador que percorra todos os setores do meio-campo, um autêntico “camisa 8”. Atualmente, apenas Breno Bidon, titular, e Maycon, lesionado, têm esta característica.

DEYVERSON

Além da prioridade em um setor diferente do que o de Deyverson, o Corinthians analisou outro fatore para descartar a contratação do atacante, que foi oferecido ao clube.

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➡️ Deyverson recusa proposta do Santos; presidente explica motivo

O Timão enxerga que teria um excesso na função de centroavante, pois Yuri Alberto e Pedro Raul estão no elenco. Ambos, inclusive, foram contratados por valores elevados.

O técnico António Oliveira trabalhou com Deyverson no Cuiabá, gosta do jogador e aprovou a contratação para o Corinthians. No entanto, o desejo do técnico não teve apoio da diretoria.

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ROMARINHO

Jogador histórico do Corinthians, Romarinho está de saída do Al-Ittihad, da Arábia Saudita. Livre no mercado, o herói da taça da Libertadores de 2012 também foi descartado.

A principal justificativa é a idade. O atacante está com 33 anos, e a diretoria corintiana não pretende fazer novos investimentos em jogadores considerados mais velhos.

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Pat Cummins has made a tentative return to bowling as Australia’s Test captain accelerates his bid to play in the Ashes.Cummins bowled off a five-step run-up in a brief net session in Sydney on Wednesday. Australia’s captain has been ruled of out of the first Test against England starting on November 21 in Perth.Related

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But Cummins, who has said he would need four to six weeks of bowling before returning to match action, hopes to return in the middle sector of the five-Test series.The second Test in Brisbane starts on December 4 and the third Test in Adelaide on December 17.Cummins bowled off a short run-up at Cricket New South Wales’ Silverwater headquarters on Wednesday, watched by renowned physio Patrick Farhart and the Blues’ strength and conditioning coach, Dean McNamara.His bowling return came two days after Australia coach Andrew McDonald expressed hope Cummins could prove his fitness for the second Test.”We flagged this a week or so ago, that it would take sort of four-plus weeks to get him up and running,” McDonald told reporters on Monday. “We’ve run out of time [for the first Test] unfortunately, but really optimistic and hopeful for the second Test match.”The next question is, what’s the time frame, what does it look like for the second Test? [I am] not really going to be able to answer that, other than to say that he’ll be back bowling this week, and that’s a huge step.”That was the big variable that we wanted to add in and get that information. So we’re on the journey to that second Test and very hopeful that that will be a positive outcome.”Cummins last played in mid-July on Australia’s Test tour of the West Indies. He reported back soreness after returning to Australia and was diagnosed with a lumbar stress injury in September.McDonald said how Cummins recovered from his return to bowling would be vital.”We will see how he pulls up and then we’ll make decisions moving forward,” he said. “With the nature of this injury, it’s never going to be a clear time frame … I would never put the medical team under that sort of duress either.”

Manchester United’s 2024/25 campaign handed Ruben Amorim and the hierarchy a huge task of winning the fanbase over ahead of the ongoing season.

The Red Devils’ 15th-place finish in the Premier League was nothing short of an embarrassment, with such a standing the club’s lowest since the division’s formation back in 1992.

The Europa League gave the manager a chance to redeem himself, but such a competition brought about more misery – losing the final in Bilbao to fellow English strugglers Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite all the failures of Amorim’s debut year at Old Trafford, the hierarchy decided to stick with the 40-year-old for 2025/26 – even handing him over £200m worth of funds to improve the first-team squad.

However, further embarrassing defeats against League Two side Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup once again led to rumours over the manager’s long-term future in the role.

He’s since managed to win three league games in a row for the first time in his tenure, with some of his tactical tweaks finally starting to take effect 12 months on from his appointment.

The impact of Bruno & Mbeumo in Amorim’s system at United

Despite United struggling massively last season, it didn’t stop club captain Bruno Fernandes from impressing and producing some astonishing numbers in the final third.

The 31-year-old ended 2024/25 on a combined 37 goals and assists, by far and away the highest tally of any player in the squad – with his efforts saving the club from a relegation battle.

However, after the recent summer spending spree, the Portuguese international has been forced to operate in a deep-lying central midfield role – but it hasn’t taken away from his incredible ability in attacking areas.

Bruno currently sits on a total of four goal contributions, but his underlying stats highlight the bearing he is still having on creating carnage for the opposition.

In the recent Premier League outing against Nottingham Forest, he registered a total of four chances created – the most of any player on the pitch at the City Ground.

Bruno has also created the most chances of any player in the first-team squad this campaign, with his average of 2.8 per 90 ranking him in the top 3% of all players in the division.

Most of his opportunities have fallen the way of Bryan Mbeumo, with the 26-year-old tasked with the responsibility of transforming the club’s lack of quality in the final third.

The Cameroonian cost a whopping £71m including add-ons from Brentford, but has already made an immediate impact despite the pressure of the price tag looming over him.

He’s scored four times in his first ten outings for the Red Devils, but like Bruno, his underlying figures are the ones that greatly highlight his impact in the Premier League during 2025/26.

Mbeumo’s total of 1.4 shots on target per 90 ranks him in the top 4% of all players in the division, undoubtedly contributing to his impressive goalscoring tally.

He also ranks in the top 4% for crosses completed and the top 10% for successful dribbles – further reaffirming how he’s helped transform the club’s ability to impress in front of goal.

The United star who’s becoming the best in the world

The impact of Bruno and Mbeumo in the final third simply can’t be understated, with the duo playing a key role in United’s recent revival under Amorim this season.

The pair have played a key role in the majority of the club’s goals in the Premier League this campaign, with such a situation night and day from the previous year.

Amorim’s men have already netted 17 league goals in just 10 outings to date, which is already 45% of the efforts registered during the embarrassing 2024/25 campaign.

Such an investment has already been worthwhile, which has certainly set the first team on the right trajectory for success if they can sustain such levels in the years ahead.

As for the defensive department, they have often come under fire for their lack of quality – with the majority of which being directed to goalkeeper Andre Onana.

However, the centre-backs in front of the shot-stopper didn’t cover themselves in glory, resulting in the Red Devils conceding 44 times in just 38 matches.

The hierarchy backed Amorim in the summer, as previously mentioned, even landing a new goalkeeper in the form of Senne Lammens from Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp.

The 23-year-old cost a fee in the region of £18m during the recent window, subsequently being an investment for the immediate and long-term future at Old Trafford.

His arrival has brought a newfound sense of confidence in the defensive department, already keeping a clean sheet and only conceding five times in his four senior outings for the Red Devils.

Amorim’s men currently remain unbeaten during the youngster’s spell in the first-team, which is no coincidence given the struggles of those who have filled the void before him.

His stats from the early stages of his career at Old Trafford no doubt highlight his impressive start to life in England, which has seen the side rise up England’s top-flight.

Games played

4

Minutes played

360

Saves made

12

Goals prevented

0.4

Goals conceded

5

Clean sheets

1

High claims

5

Passes completed

48

Lammens has achieved a 71% save percentage to date, whilst making three saves per 90 – tallies which have certainly prevented the side in numerous key moments.

He’s also achieved a goals prevented xG of 0.38, ranking him in the top 8% of all ‘keepers in the league – which has led to one analyst tipping him to become one of the “best in the world”.

The Belgian’s ability to quickly transition the play has also aided Mbeumo and Bruno, with his tally of 8.8 accurate long balls per 90 able to quickly start a counterattack for Amorim’s men.

Given his tender age, it’s certainly frightening how exciting Lammens could be at United, with the 23-year-old able to fill the void between the sticks for at least the next decade.

Should he carry on his current path under Amorim, there’s no reason as to why he can’t play a vital role in any success endured by the Red Devils in the near future.

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Léo Jardim é o representante do Vasco na Seleção Brasileira. O goleiro foi convocado pela primeira vez na carreira e, já nesta terça-feira (19), apareceu em campo para treinar. Vale lembrar que o Brasil joga contra a Inglaterra neste sábado (23), às 16h, em Wembley. Veja no player acima.

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Well, given the circumstances, that was an exceptional result for Chelsea.

Sure, Enzo Maresca’s side would have gone out there looking for a win, but considering Arsenal are the Premier League leaders, a point is not bad and has kept them within touching distance.

Moreover, when Moises Caicedo got himself sent off in the first half, it felt like only a matter of when, not if, the Gunners would take the lead.

There were sensational displays across the pitch for the hosts, including one monster that saved the Ecuadorian international from becoming the talking point.

Chelsea's standout stars

One of Chelsea’s best players this evening, and all season for that matter, was Robert Sanchez.

Chalkboard

The Spanish shot-stopper has come in for some harsh criticism over recent years, but against the Gunners, he was superb.

On top of his passing generally being on point and his collection of crosses being efficient, he also made several top-quality stops, like the one from Gabriel Martinelli’s shot in the first half.

Another hugely important player for the Blues was captain fantastic, Reece James.

The Englishman once again started the game in the middle of the park and was, in the words of presenter Olivia Buzaglo, “gargantuan.”

In his 94 minutes of action, he provided an assist, played two key passes, won 100% of his tackles, won 11 of 12 duels, didn’t get dribbled past at all, recovered the ball twice, and completed 100% of his dribbles.

It was just the sort of performance the team needed from their captain after Caicedo was sent off in the first half.

However, there was another starter who was just as vital to the win, and truly saved the Ecuadorian’s blushes.

The Chelsea player who saved Caicedo

Once Caicedo was sent off, there was an expectation that Arsenal would eventually wrestle control back from Chelsea and stamp their authority over proceedings.

However, the Blues clearly had other ideas.

Just three minutes into the second 45, James delivered an incredible corner into the Gunners’ penalty area, and Trevoh Chalobah rose to meet it and head it home.

It was a well-worked set-piece and a brilliant header that seemed to shock the visitors and gave the Stamford Bridge faithful something to cheer about and take their minds off the red card.

However, while that was the most memorable moment of his game, Chalobah did far more than just score, as he was superb at the back and showed some great on-the-ball skill, coming out from the back on multiple occasions.

He unsurprisingly made quite the impression on the watching press as well, with the Standard’s Dom Smith awarding him an 8/10 match rating at full-time.

The 26-year-old’s statistics more than justify such a rating as well.

In his 94 minutes of hard-fought action, the academy graduate won 100% of his tackles, made six clearances, recovered the ball four times, won five of seven duels, didn’t get dribbled past, took 52 touches and won one foul.

It was another performance from the Englishman that proves he’s more than just a stopgap until the club splashes the cash on a new defender.

Or, as Gary Cahill said in an interview that came out a few hours before the game, he is “the most underappreciated player at Chelsea.”

Ultimately, they might not have won, but Chelsea put in a sensational performance to claim a point against Arsenal, and alongside the likes of Sanchez and James, Chalobah saved Caicedo from becoming the talking point.

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تحدثت صحفية بارزة في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز عن التصريحات الصادمة التي أدلى بها نجم فريق ليفربول، محمد صلاح، اعتراضًا على تهميشه من جانب المدرب آرني سلوت في آخر 3 مباريات.

وخاض ليفربول مباراة في الجولة الخامسة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، مساء السبت، ضد ليدز يونايتد حيث تعادلا بثلاثة أهداف لمثلها.

ولم يشارك محمد صلاح في تلك المباراة حيث تواجد على دكة البدلاء، للمرة الثالثة على التوالي مؤخرًا، ولم يُدفع به في أي من دقائق اللقاء.

وعقب المباراة، تفاجأ الجميع بتصريحات لاذعة على لسان محمد صلاح، حيث هاجم من خلالها ليفربول وإدارة النادي، وكذلك آرني سلوت، بسبب التعامل معه كونه كبش فداء في الفريق (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

من جانبها، كشفت ميليسا ريدي، عن رأيها تجاه تصريحات محمد صلاح، باعتبارها مراسلة بارزة في الدوري الإنجليزي لكبار الصحف والشبكات، مثل “سكاي سبورتس” و”إندبندنت” و”ذا أثلتيك” وغيرها، كما يُعرف عنها كونها مشجعة لـ ليفربول.

وكتبت ميليسا ريدي عبر حسابها الشخصي بموقع “إكس”: “هذا منعطف حزين ومحبط للغاية في مسيرة محمد صلاح مع ليفربول، شعوره بأن النادي قد تخلى عنه، واعترافه بقطع علاقته مع آرني سلوت، وقوله (يبدو أن أحدهم لا يريدني في أنفيلد)، وتلميحه القوي إلى إجباره على الرحيل في يناير، هو ليس المعاملة أو الإرث أو النتيجة التي تستحقها مساهماته التاريخية، لم يكن الأمر مُقدرًا له أن يكون كذلك”.

وأضافت: “جرحه واضح، ومن الواضح أنه استسلم لمشاعره بكشفه كل هذا بشكل علني لكن ليفربول لا يحتاج إلى مزيد من الأذى الآن، هذا مُضر، كما أنه سيؤثر، بطبيعة الحال، على كيفية رؤية الكثيرين له، تبدو كلمة الأزمة وصفًا مُخففًا”.

وواصلت الجنوب إفريقية: “يبدو صلاح منزعجًا بشكل خاص من تصويره على أنه مشكلة ليفربول، في حين أن هذا مخالف للحقيقة، ويحتفظ اللاعبون الذين هم في أسوأ حالاتهم بمكانهم في التشكيل، هذا النهج خاطئ تمامًا”.

وشددت: “كما يبدو صلاح منزعجًا أيضًا من أن محادثاته الخاصة مع المدرب والنادي لم تفسر سبب التغيير الجذري في وضعه، حيث قال (سألت لكنني لم أجد تفسيرًا، كنت أعرف أنني لن ألعب)”.

واسترسلت: “من خلال قراءة ما بين السطور، هناك شعور بأنه يُضحى به ويُعامل ككبش فداء لإصلاح بعض الأخطاء التي أدت إلى ظهور ليفربول بشكل غير مألوف على أرض الملعب”.

واختتمت: “مهما كان ألم محمد صلاح ومهما كان شعوره، فهذا لا يتوافق مع أسلوت ليفربول، يا إلهي، إنه يستحق أكثر بكثير من هذه الفوضى”.

This is such an exceptionally sad, depressing turn in Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool story. Feeling like the club have thrown him under the bus, admitting he no longer has a relationship with Arne Slot, that it “seems like someone does not want me” at Anfield, and is strongly hinting… — Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) December 6, 2025

Arsenal are set to be minus an “underrated” star for their looming North London derby against Tottenham and far beyond that, following some injury news out of the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta’s side host Spurs on Sunday in imperious form, but the manager is being made to sweat over several key players. The Gunners remain in pole position at the top of the Premier League table after a fantastic start to the campaign, which is made all the more impressive by the absences of numerous big-name attackers lately.

Arsenal currently sit top with eight wins, two draws and one loss from their opening 11 matches, boasting a phenomenal defensive record. They’ve conceded just five goals all season, the best of any team in Europe’s top five leagues, which has formed the backbone of their title challenge.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

However, the international break has brought fresh concerns.

Left-back Riccardo Calafiori returned early from Italy duty due to hip pain, but encouragingly, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Arsenal’s medical checks confirmed that Calafiori will be available for the derby with no injury issues, just overload.

Calafiori has become an undisputed starter this term, chipping in with one goal and two assists from 11 games, even thwarting Myles Lewis-Skelly for a consistent place in the starting eleven.

Meanwhile, captain Martin Odegaard is continuing his recovery from a knee injury that has plagued him since October. The Norwegian, before his country’s 4-1 win over Italy, told TV2 that his recovery is progressing and he “will hopefully be back soon” — though it remains to be seen whether that could be against Tottenham.

His creativity has been sorely missed in Arsenal’s midfield, and elsewhere in the squad, Viktor Gyokeres has been struggling with a hamstring injury sustained at Burnley. He’s missed their last two matches against Slavia Prague and Sunderland, as a result, with Gyokeres believed to remain a doubt ahead of Spurs.

Noni Madueke is approaching a comeback after being sidelined for almost two months due to a knee problem, while Kai Havertz continues his recovery from knee surgery with a potential return on the cards “towards the end of the year”, according to Julian Nagelsmann.

Gabriel Martinelli is racing to be fit for this weekend, but the game comes too soon for his compatriot, Gabriel Jesus, who’s expected to be the last to return after his ACL injury at the start of 2025 (Simon Collings).

Amid this wave of Arsenal team news, it is another Gabriel who’s been making the headlines recently.

Indeed, star defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who’s been equally vital going forward as well as at the back, was taken off with a thigh problem during Brazil’s 2-0 friendly win over Senegal at the Emirates, and the early signs aren’t exactly cause for celebration.

Arsenal star Gabriel to miss "minimum four weeks" after thigh injury

According to journalist Sami Mokbel of The BBC, Gabriel could now miss a “minimum four weeks”, and some sources suggest that he could be out until January as the club wait for further scan results.

Gabriel has been the linchpin of Europe’s most water-tight defence, partnering both William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera to devastating effect and making him irreplaceable in Arteta’s system.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Arsenal face a crucial run of fixtures beyond just Tottenham, with Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Chelsea awaiting them right afterwards.

Beyond defensive stability, Gabriel already boasts five goal involvements in all competitions this season, including a vital late winner away to Newcastle in September, highlighting his importance at both ends of the pitch. The 27-year-old gifts Arsenal a major outlet, and has been a significant part of their outstanding set piece record this season.

With Gabriel set to miss this weekend, Mosquera or Piero Hincapie will likely come in to replace him, with the summer signings now given a baptism of fire.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is being made to sweat over the fitness of one Spurs star ahead of their vital North London derby clash with Arsenal.

Frank’s side are desperately seeking to end their dismal run against Arsenal and salvage pride in one of English football’s most intense rivalries.

Tottenham have lost seven of the last nine North London derbies, and it’s been 14 years since the Lilywhites last won away to Arsenal in the Premier League. These shocking statistics hang heavy over Frank, who’s faced criticism for Spurs’ lack of creativity in open play this season.

Spurs are also faced with the mountainous task of breaking down a water-tight Arsenal backline which boasts the most superior defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues.

Mikel Arteta’s title chasers went on an historic eight-game run without conceding a single goal before their 2-2 draw with Sunderland, so you could hardly ask for a worse time to come up against Arsenal, who also splashed nearly £270 million on a plethora of new stars in the summer transfer window.

In 65 league visits to Arsenal, Spurs have won only twice, with their rivals triumphing 26 times. Even more concerning, Tottenham have failed to keep a clean sheet in a staggering 25 consecutive Premier League games away to the Gunners, a record that stretches back over a decade, and Arsenal have won 84 matches in the all-time head-to-head compared to Spurs’ 61.

Make no mistake, Arsenal dominate the derby, but there’s real encouragement to be found in Spurs’ overall away record this season.

An excellent run of four wins, one draw and zero defeats outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has catapulted them to top of the away form table with an average of 2.60 points per game, though Frank will be hoping as many players as possible will be back in contention after a mini-injury crisis.

No other top-flight has more men out of action right now, with as many as 11 sidelined.

Star winger Mohammed Kudus missed Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Man United and their 4-0 win over Copenhagen with a knock, with the Ghanaian also not called up for his national team’s friendlies against Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, striker Dominic Solanke is “unlikely” to feature against Arsenal amid his slow recovery from what was once deemed a ‘minor’ ankle problem.

It remains to be seen how long Randal Kolo Muani will be out for too, after he fractured his jaw against United.

Frank sweating over Lucas Bergvall ahead of North London derby after injury setback

There is also the matter of young midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who’s been missing since their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea due to a concussion.

The 19-year-old was sent home from international duty earlier this week after initially being included in Graham Potter’s first ever Sweden squad, with national team official Stefan Pettersson now revealing he was withdrawn due to a ‘setback during training’.

Pettersson, speaking to the media, says they didn’t hesitate sending Bergvall back to N17 after a “reaction” to testing.

The teenager has been a revelation ever since arriving at Tottenham in an £8.5 million deal from Djurgardens.

Bergvall’s managed 60 total appearances for the club already, enjoying a fantastic September with successive Player of the Match awards and his first Premier League goal for the club against West Ham.

Frank’s preferred midfield partnership of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha has largely kept Bergvall out of the starting eleven recently, but the tactician will be hoping that he can upon his fellow Scandinavian from the bench for their all-important clash on enemy turf.