Daniel Oyegoke NEVER liked Tottenham, as Hearts new boy tells all ahead of clash with Ange and Co.

Daniel Oyegoke got a crash course in the north London derby as a kid at Arsenal and would love the chance to tear Spurs apart again with the Jambos.

The defender admitted he still hasn’t lost his love for Tottenham since his time at the Gunners Academy. And it added a little extra spice ahead of tonight’s glamorous friendly clash against Ange Postecoglou’s men. Oyegoke – who was signed from Brentford in the summer – said: “I have faced them a few times. We used to beat them! It was always a good time for us. They tried to tell us how important the derby is when you’re young. Never liked Spurs so hopefully we can try to beat them again!

“I wouldn’t say I’m an Arsenal fan. I wasn’t really a fan of any team, I just loved my football. Oliver Skipp is a few years older than me but I caught him when I was playing for 21. They have a good team. So do we though. It’s a game we’ll use to build our fitness and, yes, hopefully we’ll beat them!”

Oyegoke landed in Gorgie with a solid pedigree, having been recruited by the Gunners from Barnet as a child. Power eventually moved to Brentford with loan spells at MK Dons and Bradford City, and while the Bees offered him a new deal, the 21-year-old was determined to take charge at Hearts.

He will always be grateful to the Emirates team and said: “Football has always been my sport. I played a lot of sports when I was younger, but that’s what you do when you’re young and have a lot of energy. It was always football for me. I went to Arsenal from Barnet when I was about 14. It was good for me and my development as a footballer. I joined as a forward or a winger but quickly became a right back or center half in my first year.

“As soon as I became a defender I started getting involved with England at youth level and getting a lot of experience. I look back on the time I spent there with great fondness. I have made many friendships and connections with people who have helped me along the way. It was a good club for me.”

Oyegoke learned how to stick it at Spurs but has also come on in leaps and bounds under Mikel Arteta. And he is convinced the lessons learned under the Arsenal boss will pay off at Tynecastle. He said: “I joined at the end of Wenger and then there was Unai Emery. He moved to Arteta. Obviously I was quite young, but I talked a lot with Arteta.

“He’s obviously a great manager and you can see the detail he likes to go into, you can see it coming out now in the way Arsenal play. It was good to take everything I could from him and hopefully bring him here.”

Jambos boss Steven Naismith will release Scotland stars Zander Clark and Lawrence Shankland tonight. However, Costa Rican pair Kenneth Vargas and Gerald Taylor will be kept out until the weekend after returning from international duty.