Gallas declined an initial offer to remain with Arsène Wenger's side only for potential moves to Juventus and Panathinaikos to fail to materialise. The 33-year-old ended up signing a one-year deal at White Hart Lane, with an option of a further season, and will now confront his former club for the first time.
The former Arsenal captain's spell at the Emirates was not without controversy, with his infamous sit-down protest on the pitch at the end of the 2-2 draw at Birmingham City in February 2008 prompting Wenger to strip him of the armband, concerned as he was at the impression such petulance was making on the side's younger players. "But he deserves a good reception from the fans because he always did his best for Arsenal and was very professional," Sagna said. "He always gave everything, even if he had some moments when people looked at him because of his behaviour."
"It was hunger because he wanted to win so much. Maybe he expressed it in a bad way, but he wanted to win something. William gave everything for the team while he was here. He always did that for Arsenal. Now I know he is going to receive a bad reception, but I think it is a bit silly because he is a professional player above anything. He needs to live and be allowed to play his football. That's what he loves."
"It doesn't matter if he is at Tottenham Hotspur. William is still William, my friend. I wasn't against him joining Spurs and I'm not angry he did. On the pitch we are rivals but, off it, we are old friends. I just hope the fans won't be too bad to him."
While Gallas adjusts to the north London derby among Tottenham's ranks, there came an admission from Robin van Persie that he would have loved Rafael van der Vaart, his Dutch international colleague, to have been lining up for – rather than against – Arsenal on Saturday. The attacking midfielder has excelled since his surprise summer move from Real Madrid, with seven goals in 12 games.
"I would rather have him at Arsenal," Van Persie said. "I know the quality he has. I indicated a couple of times that Rafael would be useful for Arsenal, but that advice was not followed. I regret the fact he was not signed, but it is the right of the club. This is just my opinion. Now you can see the result. Spurs were a good team [without Van der Vaart], but now they are a top team."
Regardless, Arsenal have moved back up to second place and can take over at the top of the Premier League table – albeit possibly for a few hours – by beating Spurs.
Newcastle's unexpected success at the Emirates this month appeared to dampen the supporters' expectations, although the subsequent impressive wins at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton, combined with the points shed by Chelsea and Manchester United, have breathed new life into Arsenal's title pursuit.
The north London derby provides an opportunity to regain momentum at home against opponents who have not prevailed at Arsenal since 1993.
"We have to concentrate on our team," Sagna said. "At the moment we are doing well but we know that if we want to be competitive, we have to play well at home. We suffered during the last match at home against Newcastle but now, if we want to finish top of the league, we can't let any more points go."
Source: Dominic Fifield, The Guardian on 18 Nov 10
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