'The longer you are here, the more you understand...'

Jan Vertonghen knew all about the North London derby before he arrived at Spurs – now he says he knows what it really means.

The Belgian defender has tasted the ups and downs of the N17 vs N5 rivalry already as he enjoys his third season at the club after signing from Ajax in the summer of 2012.

Jan played in both matches as we lost 5-2 at the Emirates before coming out on top at the Lane in his debut campaign in 2012-13 and then started two as the Gunners won three out of three last term.

This time around, Jan’s compatriot Nacer Chadli put us 1-0 up at the Emirates before we were pegged back for a 1-1 draw in September.

Below: Jan in action in September's draw at the Emirates

“When you first come to the club you know all about the game - it’s the North London derby - but the longer you are here the more you understand how people think about this game, you know how important it is and you want to win even more,” said Jan.

“I’ve experienced every result against Arsenal and they have always been close games.

“Once again this season we’re close to each other. We’re in good form but so are Arsenal, they beat City recently and scored five against Villa, so we’re both in form and it will be interesting on Saturday.

“It’s always special and this is a huge game we need to win.

“We have the advantage of our home crowd and I hope we can make it happen.”