Arsenal issue statement as PGMOL and Premier League force change before Tottenham clash

Arsenal have issued a statement following a PGMOL ruling that's due to impact this weekend's north London derby with Tottenham Hotspur.

The clash comes at a nightmare time for boss Mikel Arteta, who is set to be without Mikel Merino (injured), Martin Odgeegard (injured) and Declan Rice (suspended) for Sunday's clash.

But as well as plenty of changes in midfield, Arsenal will also undergo another major switch ahead of the game, with the Gunners set to wear their away kit at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The white of Spurs coming up against the red of Arsenal has been a constant in this fixture for as long as most can remember, but that won't be the case this weekend.

It comes after the PGMOL ruled Arsenal's home strip for the 2024/25 season contains too much white and therefore clashes with the kit Tottenham will be wearing.

On the ruling, a statement posted to Arsenal's website read: "That’s because both teams will be wearing their away strips in the fixtures this campaign, after the PGMOL and Premier League ruled that our 2024/25 home kit features too much white, thus clashing with Tottenham’s traditional colours, even with the option of red shorts and socks for us, which was also discussed.

"As a result, for the first time in recent ‘NLD’ history, we’ll be wearing our changed colours, with our black Adidas away kit being donned at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where we’ll aim to clinch a third-straight victory at the venue."

This ruling will also impact Tottenham later on in the season when they visit the Emirates Stadium.

However, it's not yet known which alternative kit Spurs will wear, with the capital club boasting a sky blue away shirt and an emerald green third strip.

It won't be the first time Arsenal have worn their new black away kit in the Premier League though, with the Gunners having debuted it during last month's emphatic win away to Aston Villa.

Goals from Leonardo Trossard and Thomas Partey helped Arteta's men to a statement 2-0 victory that day, with the duo likely to feature in the north London derby this weekend.

Partey, who has started all three Premier League matches this season, is all but certain to play if fit, given how light Arsenal are in midfield following Rice's red card and Merino and Odegaard's injuries.

But, some of Arteta's problems in that are could be solved by deploying Trossard as a striker, which would allow Kai Havertz to drop deeper and operate as an attacking midfielder.

The ex-Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen star has shown he's adept at doing that in the past, making it a viable option for the injury-ridden Premier League title hopefuls.