As Tottenham Hotspur gear up to face Arsenal on the road at the Emirates Stadium for the first North London Derby of Thomas Frank's career as Spurs manager, the Lilywhites have to ponder a recurring theme from the summer 2025 transfer window as they begin to make approaches for their dream transfer targets to bolster a still sagging attack in 2026.
Time and time again, Spurs were beaten to the punch by their bitter rivals Arsenal on the transfer market. Arsenal didn't just swoop in to beat Spurs for Eberechi Eze, who dreamed of the Gunners as a child, but they also took away Frank's old Brentford midfield leader Christian Norgaard from right under the noses of their North London nemesis.
Tottenham and Arsenal are going to go battle again for even bigger marquee targets in 2026. This January, they and other Big Six clubs will go all out for superstar left winger Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth, as he has a 65 milion pound release clause and could transform any team.
Arsenal have the inside track
But there is an even bigger target looming for the summer in Juventus young superstar Kenan Yildiz, who is one of the most exciting left wing and playmaker combos in the game today. Yildiz has won games all on his own for Juve, but they could lose their next Alessandro Del Piero to a Premier League giant due to their own incompetence.
Fabio Paratici and Tottenham have to go harder than they ever have before after Yildiz as a transfer target, but in the early going, it looks like they are behind the curve again. Because according to information from local Turin newspaper Tuttosport's Cristiano Corbo, Arsenal are the early favorites to sign Kenan Yildiz from Juventus right now. Chelsea and Liverpool are also concretely interested, per the Italian outlet, and about half the Premier League are monitoring Yildiz in some way.
Tottenham are presumably a part of that half, but they do not appear to be one of the favorites. And worst of all, it is Arsenal in the best position. Though it is still early, the early rumors do matter, as Tottenham found out last summer when they were beaten for top Thomas Frank target Bryan Mbuemo by Manchester United before the transfer battle could even start. If Yildiz joins Arsenal's left wing over Spurs, it will be another travesty of a transfer blow for the Lilywhites.