Troy Deeney delivers brutal verdict on Tottenham after damning Arsenal defeat | OneFootball

Former Watford striker Troy Deeney has ripped into Sunday’s north London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal for its lack of excitement.

Tottenham were on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline in a cagey affair that failed to deliver the expected fireworks.

Gabriel Magalhaes’ 64th-minute header from a set-piece proved to be the difference between both sides, condemning Spurs to consecutive Premier League defeats.

“I thought it was an awful game,” Deeney said live on talkSPORT.

“We were probably expecting Arsenal to go and dominate the ball, and then Spurs hit them on the counter-attack. It kind of worked the other way around, I thought.”

The Watford legend also praised Tottenham’s new signing, Dominic Solanke, but made a bold claim that the club would have been better off signing Ivan Toney rather than the former Bournemouth striker.

When asked if Solanke was a good fit for Postecoglou’s brand of football, Deeney said: “Yeah, I think so.

“A lot of Postecoglou’s work is about pressing, high pressing, getting after people from a striker’s point of view.

“I think Ivan Toney would have been a better fit in the sense that they need someone that is just there to score.

“I think Solanke is probably a better footballer than Ivan all round for the way that Tottenham want to make it work, but they need a goalscorer.”

Solanke was largely anonymous in Sunday’s encounter and didn’t even manage a shot on target despite playing 90 minutes, but he had only just returned from injury.

The 27-year-old has barely had time to settle into life at Spurs. He picked up a knock in the curtain raiser against Leicester City, which ruled him out of subsequent games against Everton and Newcastle United.

The England international will be hoping to open his goalscoring account when Spurs take on Coventry City in the EFL Cup third round on Wednesday.

Although, Ange Postecoglou could decide to give him a breather, with Spurs set to welcome Brentford to north London for another must-win capital derby.