When the Premier League fixtures were announced, you didn’t need to be a fan of both Arsenal or Tottenham to grab a sneaky look at the dates of the north London derby.

Such a huge game captures the attention of everyone, especially when both sides, in their more optimistic moments, will feel they have all the ingredients to be lifting the trophy a little under a year from now.

Both sides will have to wait a while, though. There are some big games to come before Tottenham travel the short distance to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in the first north London derby of the season on – or on the weekend of – November 18th. Perhaps the more interesting clash between these two, at least from this juncture, will take place in February at Wembley; where Arsenal’s recent good memories contrast with Tottenham’s bad.

It’s always a futile exercise to predict too much when it comes to fixture announcements, but it’s probably not too big a stretch to suggest that Arsenal might have wanted Spurs away to come a little earlier in the season. With their north London rivals having to move across the city and settle into a stadium where they failed quite notably – and with alarming frequency – last term, any team traveling to Wembley in the first few weeks of the season will fancy their chances, at least until the novelty wears off.

Last year, when West Ham United moved into the London Stadium, a similar teething period was observed. That may not be the case for Tottenham, who might overcome their Wembley jinx straight away and have yet another wonderful season, but it does at least look like a similar story.

Rather than facing Arsenal at Wembley early on, Spurs will welcome another capital rival, Chelsea, to the national stadium in their very first home game. And although the extra motivation of avenging their FA Cup semi-final defeat might come in handy for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, Arsenal might be wishing it was they who had the chance to ruin Spurs’ welcome party, and possibly get one over their rivals whilst they’re still trying to settle in.

Instead, the Gunners will travel to Wembley in February, by which time Spurs will have had more time to settle in.

This season, given the relative relative equality of riches and the fact that each of the Premier League’s top six will be targeting the same goal – the title – such marginal differences might well hold the key to how the season turns out. In the end, though, it’s probably more likely that summer recruitment matters more than the actual fixture schedule.

For Tottenham, that might pose a similar problem to last season: the squad isn’t noticeably weak in any department, and the temptation to simply add squad players to help with strength in depth is a risky strategy. Last year’s addition of Vincent Janssen is a prime example of such a signing.

A player bought for his goalscoring ability and potential, Janssen came to the club as a clear understudy to Harry Kane, and although his work rate is beyond reproach, he hit the net only twice in the league even though Kane spent two spells on the sidelines with injury.

The problem with buying players who are obviously going to be second choice is that they never get the chance to prove they’re as good as the player they need to replace when injury or suspension bites. But, like Son Heung-Min last year, Janssen might find his second season at Spurs is a more fruitful one. And if so, he’ll be – as the cliche goes – just like a new signing.

Arsenal, on the other hand, should be fairly clear where their squad needs work – in attack, defensive midfield and probably even defence – but the biggest factor in deciding what they need from the summer transfer window is the formation Arsene Wenger plans to use for most of the year.

Deploying a back three means less need for a specialised defensive midfielder as the central midfielders have three centre-backs behind them to help out. The signing of Sead Kolasinac also looks prescient from this point of view, too, as the Bosnian’s size and mobility look perfect for the role of the left-sided centre back in such a formation.

Despite the contrasts in fortunes for both teams last season, the entire top six still looks like a tightly-packed bunch and a few clever signings will likely be the difference between who wins the league, who finishes in the top four, and who – like Arsenal this time – has to settle for a finish in the Europa League places. But the fixture schedule has given both teams some big top six clashes before then, so we’ll know quite a lot about the state of the teams by then.

This game will be at the end of November, and last season, you can point to two pivotal games around the same time – end of November, start of December – where Chelsea took two giant steps towards the title. They beat Tottenham at Stamford Bridge 2-1 to go top before beating Manchester City 3-1 at the Etihad to open up a gap. The champions’ 3-0 defeat to Arsenal will forever be remembered as the seminal moment of the season, but those two victories before the Christmas period were vital.

If neutrals are looking for the north London derby on the fixture list, then, it’s not just because it’s a big derby. Arsenal v Tottenham has become huge in the context of the Premier League’s title race, and given how tight the top six are and the time of year it comes at, this could end up being more crucial than usual.

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According to reports in the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United goalkeeper Rob Green could be a summer target for Championship rivals Middlesbrough and Sunderland following the arrival of Felix Wiedwald last month.

The 37-year-old played in all 46 of the Whites’ Championship matches last term as they narrowly missed out on finishing in the play-off positions, and he triggered a clause to extend his initial one-year deal by another 12 months as result.

However, that was when Garry Monk was in charge and now he has left, and new manager Thomas Christiansen has brought Wiedwald to the club from Werder Bremen, his future as the club’s number one is in doubt.

If Green has been told that he won’t be first-choice from now on and isn’t happy with a spot on the substitutes’ bench then he could look to move on, and he could be tempted to link up with former boss Monk at the Riverside Stadium.

If he does go then the Yorkshire outfit will almost certainly look to provide Wiedwald with some serious competition for a spot between the sticks, with the future of Marco Silvestri also in doubt after he was relegated to second-choice last term.

Here are three Rob Green replacements Leeds could sign…

Sam Johnstone

Following a number of impressive loan spells away from Manchester United – with the latest coming at Aston Villa in the second half of last season – Johnstone could finally leave Old Trafford on a permanent deal this summer.

The 24-year-old kept eight clean sheets and conceded 26 goals in 21 appearances for Villa last term, and included a run where he let in just one goal in eight matches.

While Wiedwald may feel that he is guaranteed the number one spot, it may not be guaranteed if the Yorkshire outfit can find a decent Green replacement and Johnstone could be the perfect solution – the Daily Mail suggested last month that he could cost around £5m.

Karl Darlow

According to reports in The Sun, Darlow could be available this summer despite playing a big part in Newcastle’s immediate return to the Premier League last season.

The 26-year-old made 34 Championship appearances and kept 13 clean sheets as the Magpies won the title, but the report suggests that he faces a fight to hold on to the number one spot in the top flight next term.

The Sun adds that Darlow is available for £5m and is interesting Reading, but having won promotion with Newcastle at this level and having impressed for Nottingham Forest prior to his move to St James’ Park, Leeds could be tempted to bring him to Elland Road if Rob Green leaves.

Maarten Stekelenburg

Stekelenburg and Joel Robles were both dropped by Everton manager Ronald Koeman at different stages last season because of poor form, and one of them could be on their way out of Goodison Park following the £30m signing of Jordan Pickford last month.

With Joel 27 years of age and Stekelenburg 34, it could be the Dutchman that goes and Leeds should certainly consider snapping him up if they are looking for an experienced replacement should Green go.

The stopper conceded 24 goals in 19 Premier League appearances for the Merseyside outfit last term and having played for the likes of Ajax, Roma and Monaco during his career – as well as picking up 58 caps for his country – he could prove to be a hit between the sticks for Leeds next season.

Do you agree, Whites fans? Let us know below.

It would be fair to say that the majority of Liverpool supporters were not overwhelmed by the arrival of Dominic Solanke on a free transfer from Chelsea this summer.

Whilst Romelu Lukaku and Alexandre Lacazette were joining Manchester United and Arsenal respectively in big-money moves, Liverpool brought Solanke to Anfield following his release from Chelsea.

It seems that the Liverpool fans feel different about the 19-year-old at the moment, however, after he scored an excellent goal against fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Liverpool are currently facing Palace in the semi-finals of the Premier League Asia Trophy, and the clash had been goalless until Solanke came up with a brilliant strike in the second period.

Solanke’s arrival at Anfield did not catch the attention of the majority of the supporters, but there is no question that the Englishman has a point to prove at Anfield, and Liverpool fans will be hoping to see more goals from the forward in the coming season.

The FA Cup winners have taken the last three Community Shields, but Chelsea will be hoping to break that trend come Sunday when they take on Arsenal at Wembley.

The Premier League champions will likely role out their best XI with the aim of picking up the second piece of silverware of the Antonio Conte era and prevent the Gunners from winning their third Community Shield in four years.

The Blues will be without Eden Hazard due to injury while Arsenal are unlikely to bring star forward Alexis Sanchez back into the side as the Chilean just returned to training following the Confederations Cup.

The Gunners will be allowed to play Laurent Koscielny despite his domestic ban stemming from his straight red card in the final Premier League match against Everton. The FA have labeled the Community Shield a friendly, which allows Arsene Wenger to call upon his compatriot for Sunday’s match but not the first two league matches.

Both sides are likely to make a litany of substitutions as the match goes on, but should start the game with essentially a full-strength XI.

Both teams are expected to play a 3-4-3 this season and will be a very intriguing matchup on Sunday.

Here’s how we think Arsenal will line up to face their London rivals…

GK: Petr Cech

The Chelsea legend is still the clearcut choice in goal for Arsene Wenger as the Gunners manager hasn’t brought in any more competition for the Czech keeper and David Ospina is definitely the No. 2.

Arsenal has won only two of five meetings with Chelsea since Cech joined two seasons ago and will be trying to better that record on Sunday.

The 35-year old is past his glory days and this season will decide whether he is good enough to carry on as the Gunners’ No. 1, or else the club and keeper will both likely need to move on.

CB: Per Mertesacker

The 32-year old club captain has a lot to prove this season after playing only twice last term due to injuries and the Community Shield will be a great test of his fitness and ability to bounce back from a tough season.

He will be looking to prove he hasn’t lost a step and show Gunners fans that he is ready to lead the club back into the Champions League. Mertesacker’s experience and leadership will be a major key if Arsenal manage to win Arsene Wenger’s seventh Community Shield.

CB: Rob Holding

The 21-year old started his Gunners career slowly after making the move from Championship side Bolton Wanderers but became a key part of Arsene Wenger’s squad in the final few months of the season, playing the full 90 minutes in the club’s FA Cup victory over Chelsea.

The Englishman is likely to feature often for Arsenal this season and has essentially pushed Gabriel out of the team, making it difficult to find time for one of last summer’s big signings – Shkodran Mustafi.

CB: Laurent Koscielny

The Frenchman is almost guaranteed to start after being cleared by the FA to play in this glorified friendly.

Koscielny’s absence was expected to eliminate any chance of the Gunners winning the FA Cup, and while that clearly didn’t play a factor, Arsenal are definitively a better team with him in the side. A strong performance from their best centre-

back will be key to the club’s hopes of winning the Community Shield.

LWB: Sead Kolasinac

The Bosnian has impressed for the Gunners throughout pre-season since his free transfer from Schalke earlier in the summer.

As Arsene Wenger seemingly continues to opt for a 3-5-2/3-4-3 formation, Kolasinac fits perfectly in to Arsenal’s system and could prove to be a solid player for the Gunners this season.

RWB: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Even though it feels as if he has been around forever, the Englishman is still just 23-years-old and beginning to thrive as a wing-back in Wenger’s new system.

Chamberlain was constantly moving in and out of the starting lineup last season and still managed to have a Gunners career best six goals and 11 assists.

If Chamberlain can continue to excel as a wingback, Arsene Wenger can finally start to get the most out of a player he purchased over six seasons ago.

CM: Mesut Özil

The German playmaker was linked with a move away this summer as he only has one year left to run on his contract, but his exit rumours faded some time ago and Özil appears set to continue with Arsenal this season.

The 28-year-old scored a career best 12 goals last season and will be the club’s leading playmaker on Sunday.

Özil is a key figure in all of Wenger’s offensive plans and the Frenchman’s request that he shoot more worked out excellently last season. In the midst of his prime, Özil may better that goals total this season if he continues to heed Wenger’s words.

CM: Granit Xhaka

Last summer’s big signing, the Swiss midfielder quickly developed a reputation in England for his cracking goals and ability to pick up a booking.

He was booked 12 times and saw red twice last season in only 46 appearances and the 24-year old is likely the betting favourite to pick up the first on Sunday.

Xhaka is a very good player who needs to learn how to avoid going in the referee’s book and this season his role with the Gunners will certainly grow. He is still relatively young and has a lot of room to improve. His second season in the Premier League will be a better example of his talent and Sunday will be the first big test for him.

FWD: Olivier Giroud

Another Gunners star who was linked with a move away earlier in the summer, the big Frenchman looks set to stay and play another key role off the bench for Arsene Wenger.

With Alexis unlikely to start, Giroud takes his place and will look to build off his two pre-season goals.

After the club set their transfer record by bringing in Alexandre Lacazette, this season is huge for Giroud’s future at the Emirates Stadium.

Sunday’s Community Shield will be a great opportunity for the 30-year old to show Arsene Wenger that he deserves more than a super sub role.

FWD: Alexandre Lacazette

The club’s record signing will make his Wembley debut on Sunday and is looking to set the Premier League alight ahead of next’s summer’s World Cup. France has an extremely deep and talented pool of forwards to choose from, so Lacazette will surely be aiming for a big first campaign with the Gunners.

The 26-year old has scored twice in pre-season and has shown good chemistry with his new teammates.

Lacazette and Arsenal’s success this season will be tightly intertwined and Sunday will be a great stage for the Frenchman to show England what he is capable of.

FWD: Theo Walcott

Walcott has been in-and-out of Arsene Wenger’s starting XI throughout his career but will be looking to firmly establish himself as a starter ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

The 28-year-old’s pace has always set him apart in the Premier League and with improved finishing, Walcott could be set for an even better season this year.

Arsenal are going to need improved form across the board if they are to get back into the Champions League this season, and Walcott will be surely hoping to be a part of that improvement.

According to Dale O’Donnell of The Sportsman, Stoke City forward Bojan Krkic could leave the club before the summer transfer window slams shut at the end of this month, with Leicester City and another unnamed Premier League outfit interested in the unsettled Spanish forward.

Despite the fact that he started the Potters’ opening top flight fixture this season against Everton, The Sportsman says that the 26-year-old is keen on an exit from the Britannia Stadium having fallen out of favour last term, and he has fallen further down the pecking order following the arrival of Jese Rodriguez.

The former Barcelona man spent the second-half of the previous campaign on loan with Bundesliga outfit FSV Mainz 05, having struggled to break into the starting line-up under Mark Hughes.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has been busy strengthening his squad throughout the summer following the Magpies’ promotion from the Championship, but he may feel that he still needs to add to his attacking options after the side drew a blank against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day.

Here are three reasons Newcastle should move for Bojan…

Ability

Despite bringing in Joselu – also from Stoke City – the Magpies still look a little short of quality and numbers in attack, and there is no doubt that Bojan could improve the frontline.

The Spaniard was particularly impressive in the 2015/16 campaign for the Potters before he fell out of favour under Mark Hughes.

The forward scored seven goals and created 26 chances in 27 Premier League appearances, while he showed his quality on the ball with a passing accuracy of 84%, while he proved his ability to move forward with the ball after successfully completing 47 take-ons.

Pedigree

Having played for Barcelona, AS Roma, AC Milan and Ajax during his career, there is no doubt that Bojan has talent and something else about him that has allowed him to appear for such big European clubs.

While he would be coming from Stoke, who are perhaps a little less glamorous, the 26-year-old would still be an exciting and experienced for the club and the fans considering his list of former employers, and his arrival would certainly also lift manager Rafa Benitez and the rest of the squad.

Buy-out clause

The Sportsman says that Bojan has a release clause of £10m in his contract, and if that is true then Rafa Benitez should waste no time in moving for the former Barcelona man.

While he has struggled to be a hit for Stoke at times, he could thrive in a new environment in the Premier League and Newcastle could give him the regular first-team football that he is craving in order to find some form and consistency on the pitch.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

The Premier League returns with a bang this weekend, no fixture more appetising than Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to Newcastle United.

A lack of activity and shock comments from Danny Rose see Spurs travel to Tynside under a dark cloud, and although Newcastle’s limited summer recruitment has raised some eyebrows as well, Rafa Benitez’s boys will be backed by a buoyant St. James’ Park delighted to welcome back top flight football.

It all suggests an upset could be on the cards, but that may well depend on how referee Andre Marriner officiates proceedings from the middle of the park. Although he’s mostly famed for the notorious case of mistaken identity between to Arsenal players, the 46-year-old is one of the more experienced referees in the division and always tries to let the game flow as much as possible – in fact, from the Premier League’s 19 referees last season, he ranked 17th for fouls per game and 19th for fouls per tackle.

In theory, that should benefit Newcastle more than Spurs as the underdogs, expected to put in a rear-guard display that will allow them to attack space on the counter. Although the Magpies ranked 18th for fouls in the Championship last season, they’ll likely be doing the majority of defending this Sunday and the stats suggest Marriner will let them get away with a few dark arts and risky challenges that would be punished by other referees. That leniency could be vital in a positive result for Newcastle.

That being said, Manchester United were the only top-six side to foul more consistently than Spurs last season, albeit ranking tenth on that front throughout the Premier League, and for a referee who oversaw 28 games last term, Marriner’s away win bias is exceptionally high – 42.9%. Only two referees, one of which officiated a single game, had a higher away win percentage last season.

If there’s another positive for Spurs to take into the game, it’s that Marriner has recently proved to be a bit of a lucky charm for them. The last four games with Marriner officiating have resulted in three wins, including a 7-1 drubbing over Hull City on the final day of last season, and a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium – a pretty good result on the road.

Of course, other factors will be at play than simply how Marriner calls the match. So, Newcastle and Spurs fans, how do you think Sunday’s 1.30pm kickoff will pan out?

Manchester City are keeping an eye on Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld ahead of a potential January move, according to ESPN.

What’s the story?

The Belgian’s future at the North London club appears to be in doubt following comments made by the player’s agent Stijn Francis.

Alderweireld’s representative told Nieuwsblad that his client deserves a new contract or a move elsewhere, with “seven or eight” clubs believed to be interested.

The defender’s current contract expires in 2019, and it seems that negotiations over fresh terms have hit a stumbling block.

ESPN report that Man City are monitoring the situation and that Alderweireld has been placed on Pep Guardiola’s wishlist ahead of the January transfer window.

What should Tottenham do?

Put simply, give him a contract worth signing. It has become apparent that the North London outfit pay relatively modest wages compared to their competitors.

If the standoff is regarding salary rather than future plans on the pitch, then it is worth the club reconsidering their position.

Alderweireld has become a crucial member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team, and has formed a solid partnership with Jan Vertonghen.

Losing the 28-year-old could potentially be damaging to the club, and their reputation could be questioned if they sell another first-team player to Man City.

In the summer window, Spurs sold Kyle Walker to the two-time Premier League champions, and they would just be strengthening Guardiola’s team further if they allowed Alderweireld to follow.

The club should be adding to their own squad rather than helping their rivals.

In just six competitive fixtures so far this season, we’ve already seen three different players line up at left-back for Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United side – Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian and perhaps most surprisingly, former England winger Ashley Young.

Ever since being appointed Old Trafford boss, No.3 has represented a real problem position for Mourinho; in addition to the above, Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw both took the role for short periods last season.

Following a notably impressive performance from Young in United’s 4-0 win over Everton at the weekend, we asked Red Devils fans to vote for who should be the club’s first-choice left-back for the remainder of the campaign.

And although he’s yet to kick a ball this season due to injury problems and a lack of match fitness, it was the seven-cap international who won our poll with exactly half of the vote.

Shaw may well get a chance to prove himself at left-back in the Carabao Cup this week, but Mourinho still doesn’t appear wholly convinced by the former Southampton youngster.

West Ham United announced on their official website on Tuesday that they had received an allocation of 4,800 tickets for the fourth round EFL Cup clash against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley later this month, and Irons fans are not happy.

With a total capacity of 90,000 the Hammers would have been hopeful of getting a significant allocation for the trip to one of their arch-rivals, but the announcement went on to say that the top level of England’s national stadium won’t be open, capping the capacity to 50,835.

The east London outfit have been handed just below one-tenth of that amount for the travelling fans, as Slaven Bilic’s side will be looking to get revenge for the 3-2 home defeat they suffered against Spurs last month with a quarter-final spot up for grabs.

West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on the news via social media, and while some described it as “very disappointing”, others said the decision was “disgraceful”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

According to Italian media outlet Calciomercato, Southampton were the first club to try to sign Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, who is now rated at between €60-70m (approximately £53.9-62.9m) by the Serie A outfit.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Calciomercato spoke to an Italian agent named Giuseppe Cannella who revealed that Saints were the first club to make a move for the promising central defender two seasons ago, but no details of the bid were disclosed in the interview.

Since then, Chelsea have been heavily linked with the 26-year-old, who has quickly established himself as one of the best in his position in Italy and indeed across the whole of Europe, but they have been told that they may have to pay £62.9m to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

The Senegal international has made 132 appearances in all competitions for Napoli, who are currently top of Serie A having won all eight of their fixtures this term, scoring four goals and providing a further five assists, and he has shown that he has all of the attributes needed to be a success in the English top flight.

Has Southampton’s interest in him ended?

Almost certainly, yes.

Saints’ club-record fee is the £18.1m they paid to sign Mario Lemina from Juventus during the summer, and while they may have some significant funds available if they choose to cash in on Virgil van Dijk in the New Year or next summer, they would have an almost impossible job on their hands to convince the 26-year-old to move to St Mary’s.

What does the bid say about the club’s recruitment?

It obviously shines it in a good light considering how much the centre-back has developed in the last couple of seasons, as well as showing that they can see the potential in a player.

But while Saints can point to the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Toby Alderweireld as impressive additions in recent years, they have also had their fair share of questionable purchases too – think Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and even Sofiane Boufal.