Arsene Wenger has no intention of letting anyone other than Arsenal benefit from the "quality" of defender Justin Hoyte.
The versatile 23-year-old is expected to feature in the second leg of the Gunners' Carling Cup semi-final at Tottenham tonight, with William Gallas also ready to slot in following injuries to youngsters Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou.
Wenger firmly believes Hoyte, whose brother Gavin is also at the club, has a bright future ahead of him.
The summer arrival of French right-back Bacary Sagna, however, cast some doubts on whether the Academy graduate would remain with the Gunners.
It is understood Arsenal recently rejected a bid from Aston Villa for the England Under-21 international, who has attracted plenty of interest in the loan market.
Wenger said: "Justin is a player that has improved tremendously.
"I have big respect for Justin because he is a player that does not talk too much, but every time I play him he is quality.
"He can be in the centre and when I did that against Tottenham in the first leg, he did very, very well.
"Technically he is very good - but as well he is very versatile and quick on the turn which is a great quality for a centre-back.
"He is good in the air even if he is small and overall I refuse categorically to give him up."
Wenger added: "Part of being at a big club is you accept that other players might come in and do extremely well and he has to be patient."
Theo Walcott netted what could prove to be a crucial late equaliser as the first leg finished 1-1 two weeks ago.
The England Under-21 forward is another youngster set to be handed a chance to impress again, probably alongside Nicklas Bendtner.
Tottenham dominated for long spells in the first game, and with more composure in front of goal would have put the tie out of reach.
But now Wenger believes his side - who have not lost to thier north London rivals in 21 games since November 1999 - can be confident of making it to Wembley and a second successive final appearance.
"We feel that in the last six months we have gained that extra bit that can give us the qualification at White Hart Lane," he said.
"We have what it takes to handle any atmosphere because the advantage with our players is that they have been in front of heated crowds with a lot of pressure and they handled that.
"In the first game we were not at our best and we got out of it with a very good result. Therefore we are in a fantastic situation - we could already be out and now we have an opportunity to qualify. I am convinced that we will do it."
Keane keen on bringing back cartwheel
Robbie Keane has promised to bring back his cartwheel celebration if Tottenham get past Arsenal tonight and go on to Carling Cup glory at Wembley.
Keane had given up his trademark routine but revived it when he netted his 100th goal for Spurs with a late strike against Sunderland at the weekend.
"I will put it back in the box for another special occasion, hopefully the cup final," said the 27-year-old Republic of Ireland striker.
With the semi-final poised at 1-1 from the first leg, Spurs need a goalless draw after extra time tonight at White Hart Lane but will probably be required to defeat Arsenal for the first time since 1999 if they are to book a place at Wembley.
Keane believes there is little to choose between the two sides after a narrow win for Arsenal in the league last month and the draw 13 days ago.
"It's a massive game for the club and the players and we go in with a lot of confidence," he said. "In the last two games against them we've been the better team and we should have won both games.
"We know it's going to be difficult but if we continue the way we've been going it's a game for us to win."
Keane feels reaching a final at Wembley and winning silverware would be the next stage for Spurs as they progress under head coach Juande Ramos.
He added: "I've never played there before and it would be a great occasion.
"For the players it would be great but the club need something like this to progress and push on further than we're doing already."
Spurs, who have Steed Malbranque returning from suspension, appear to be motivated by losing to Arsenal at the same stage last year.
"When you go out in the semi-final of any competition it is always heart-breaking," said centre-back Michael Dawson. "And to go out to Arsenal was that little bit more disappointing."
Midfielder Jermaine Jenas added on Sky Sports News: "We walked into the changing room afterwards and there was a lot of disappointment. We don't want to feel that again."
The possibility of a long-awaited victory over their rivals has also excited new arrivals.
Midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, a summer signing, added: "It will feel like Christmas if we can go through to the final.
"We have to win one game against Arsenal this season - and maybe this is our time. It's a great chance for us."
Boateng looks set to be joined at Spurs by his former Hertha Berlin team-mate Gilberto, a left-back who can also play in midfield.
