BBC PUNDIT - TOTTENHAM DEALT HUGE ARSENAL BLOW WITH 50M STAR OUT INJURED

BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton believes Tottenham have been dealt a "huge blow" ahead of Arsenal after news on one of their star players.

Tottenham vs Arsenal match preview

The north London clubs go head-to-head on Sunday this weekend in what promises to be one of the most exciting clashes of this Premier League campaign, as both sides have plenty to play for and will be looking to thwart one another.

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Ange Postecoglou's side are still in the race for a top-four finish and qualification for the Champions League, even if Aston Villa hold all the cards as things stand, while Arsenal are competing to win their first league title in 20 years.

If the Lilywhites were to dampen Arsenal's title challenge while strengthening their bid for Europe, it's safe to say it would be quite the afternoon, but the quality of Mikel Arteta's side means they will have to be at their very best.

Tottenham's next league fixtures in race for fourth	Date
Arsenal (home)	April 28th
Chelsea (away)	May 2nd
Liverpool (away)	May 5th
Burnley (home)	May 11th
Man City (home)	May 14th

Some good news for Postecoglou is that right-back Pedro Porro is expected to be fit for the encounter, but the same cannot be said of left-sided counterpart Destiny Udogie. The Italy international has been ruled out for the remainder of 2023/2024 after sustaining an injury which required surgery, dealing a hammer blow to Postecoglou who will now be without one of his star players for this crucial run-in.

Udogie has been praised for his Tottenham form over his full debut season for the club, becoming a mainstay and crucial cog in Postecoglou's system, as both the 21-year-old and Porro showcase their quality time and time again when playing in the Spurs boss' inverted full-back role.

Hutton worried for Tottenham after "huge" Udogie blow

“Of course, I think defensively and the way that they play with a high line and full backs playing at number 10, you don’t normally see it,” Hutton explained.

“It’s very difficult for another full-back to come in and play in that role. I couldn’t have ever done that so for an attacking full-back, it’s not that easy. It’s a huge blow to lose him, there’s no getting away from that, it’s about who comes in."

There have been rumours that Micky van de Ven could fill in for Udogie at left-back, but it remains to be seen if Postecoglou will instead opt for more obvious choices like Emerson Royal or Ben Davies.

In any case, Udogie is certainly a sore miss, with the player's value skyrocketing this season.

“He’s a starter at Tottenham at the age of 21, it’s normal that his price gets a certain value. I read that for TransferRoom, his price is worth €59m (£50m), a figure derived from algorithms," said his agent, Stefano Antonelli, earlier this season.

“He’s an important player. Every day we’re in discussions and he knows that to be a protagonist in that league, you have to be at 110% from all points of view. It’s an extreme league, both in quality and physicality."