"I shouldn't be liking him as a player" - Arsenal legend Perry Groves says 'sorry' after confessing love for Tottenham star

Arsenal icon Perry Groves has apologized to Gunners fans after lavishing praise on Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison. The retired forward admitted his admiration for the England international after his performance against Bournemouth.

Tottenham secured a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth over the weekend thanks to goals from Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. The former Leicester City midfielder's display caught Groves' attention. The 26-year-old had a strong showing for the Spurs with a 91% pass accuracy during the match.

The former Arsenal man discussed Tottenham's new style of play under manager Postecoglu, saying (via talkSPORT):

"It [Tottenham's new style of play] is on the front foot, it is entertaining and a lot more fluidity. I think Postecoglou has said to him 'you have so much footballing intelligence, you have the protection of [Yves] Bissouma and [Pape Matar] Sarr, I want you to go find the pockets where you think you can be more influential on the ball'."

Groves added that Maddison was well-suited for the new system, saying:

"And that is exactly what he did against Bournemouth. He was dropping deep and being the playmaker but then he was getting himself in the 18-yard box.

He praised Maddison while also apologizing to Arsenal fans, saying:

"I am drawn on him a little bit because I shouldn't be liking him as a player, playing for them. But I do. I like his character, I like his impishness, I like the way he plays, he interviews really well… I have got to stop it now… That is my confession, I am so sorry."

Tottenham signed Maddison from Leicester City for £40 million this summer. The England international is off to a great start to life in North London. He has scored once and grabbed two assists in three Premier League encounters for the Lilywhites this season.

"We were 10 times better" - Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes interesting admission after Fulham draw

Arsenal drew 2-2 against Fulham at the Emirates on Saturday (26 August) in a thrilling encounter. The Gunners quickly went 1-0 down after Andreas Pereira found the back of the net within the first minute of the match.

The North London outfit turned things around in the second half after two quick-fire goals from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah. However, they were unable to secure a victory after Joao Palhinha leveled the scoreline in the 87th minute.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was asked in a post-match press conference whether it will take time to be as fluid as last season when they challenged Manchester City for the Premier League title. The Spanish manager had a confident reply, saying (per the club's official website):

"Well, if I compare the game that we played against Fulham this season and last season, we were 10 times better than last season, at least 10. We were much better than last season. Last season we won 2-1 in the last minute, today we drew 2-2."