Keith Wyness reacts to game-changing Tottenham development – ‘this is big’
Tottenham will face Arsenal in a historic clash in Hong Kong as part of their pre-season preparations ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
The north London derby showdown at the newly-opened Kai Tak Stadium on 31 July will be the first time the two sides have met outside the United Kingdom.
Liverpool and Man United will also play in Hong Kong in the off-season, while Chelsea and Man City will take part in the Club World Cup in the United States.
Spurs and Arsenal have already met twice in the Premier League this term with Mikel Arteta‘s side coming out on top on both occasions.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – has claimed both sides will have a “big strategy” linked to the historic game in Asia.
Tottenham and Arsenal to bank £2m each for derby clash, says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness has claimed Tottenham and Arsenal are likely to bank around £2million in appearance fees – but will also be aiming to engage their Asian fanbases.
Spurs visited Japan and South Korea last year (2024), while the Gunners last visited Asia with a trip to Singapore in 2018.
| Date | Result |
| 15 January 2025 | Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham |
| 15 September 2024 | Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal |
| 28 April 2024 | Tottenham 2-3 Arsenal |
| 24 September 2023 | Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham |
| 15 January 2023 | Tottenham 0-2 Arsenal |
Wyness revealed his personal link to the Kai Tak project in Hong Kong.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “A good friend of mine was in charge of overseeing and developing the Kai Tak project in Hong Kong.
“He’s recently been overseeing the opening of the stadium – John Sharkey, the CEO, is his name.
“They’re going to have an AC Milan academy in there, they’ve just had Coldplay, the Hong Kong rugby sevens – it’s a superb facility, and probably one of the best in the world.
“The whole project is a fascinating sports city.
“This game with Tottenham and Arsenal is all about positioning the Kai Tak project on the global stage.
“I don’t know what the deal is, but it will be about servicing the Asian market and using new technologies to monetise those fans in a bigger way than ever before.
“The two clubs will want to create a dialogue because we know they have big numbers in this region.
“It’s going to be a big strategy, it won’t be just about the appearance fee. I’m guessing that will be around the £2million mark for each club, which is big.
“It’s also what they bolt on around that which will be very important. They’ve got to close the gap between social media followers and supporters who are actually registered with the club.
“Then you can speak to them and transact with them, and that’s the key way forward.”
Tottenham could re-sign Chelsea star
Meanwhile, Football Insider has revealed (6 April) that Tottenham are plotting a surprise move to re-sign Chelsea star Noni Madueke this summer.
Madueke left Tottenham’s academy setup in 2018 in favour of a move to Dutch outfit PSV.
He is back in England with Chelsea but has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge in recent months.
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