Arsenal to face competition from Spurs for transfer of player from rival London club: Reports

Arsenal and Tottenham are reportedly set to battle it out for Christian Norgaard. Both sides are keen on bolstering their midfield and see the Brentford captain as the ideal signing.

As per a report in The Standard, Norgaard is seen as a key player to sign this summer by the North London rivals. Arsenal and Tottenham are pushing to get the 31-year-old as the player who can step in and deliver from the start.

Norgaard has worked with new Spurs boss Thomas Frank, and the manager is keen on taking the player with him across London. He heaped praise on the midfielder in 2022, calling him the glue on the pitch. He said:

"Every team has one or two players that are the glue, that make the team tick, or better, just by stepping on the pitch. Nørgaard is one of the players that does that for us."

The Gunners are in the market for a midfielder after letting Jorginho leave for Flamengo at the end of the season. He was not offered a new deal, while Thomas Partey is also leaving once his deal expires this month.

Mikel Arteta's side do have a deal in place for Martin Zubimendi, and the Spaniard is expected to officially join before the pre-season kicks off.

Mikel Arteta sent clear message to Arsenal board

Mikel Arteta was clear in his message to the Arsenal board earlier this year, calling for signings this summer. He claimed that the Gunners needed to make the perfect signings this summer to compete for trophies. He said via ESPN:

"Finish the season, go to the beach, enjoy a few days and make sure the ones upstairs, they do what they have to do. We have to be very smart with the decisions that we take. Obviously, we need players because the squad is really short, and on top of that we are losing four or five players that are going to end contracts, and their loans are finished. So, we need to be sharp. Again, very disciplined in what we want to do, and make sure that we are strong in the next season."

"The plan is done and the timing will be dictated by many parties, many circumstances that unfortunately we don't control. But we have great people in charge of that, and they're going to be leading that with the board and ownership. And as well, make sure that the ones that we have, they feel valued, they feel loved, and we make sure that they want to continue with us in the right manner."

Tottenham ended their trophy drought with the UEFA Europa League win over Manchester United in the final. The Gunners are trophyless in their last five seasons under Mikel Arteta.