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Arsenal in recent years have been looking over their shoulders, looking out for their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur as they edge closer to bridging the gap.
To Spurs fans, this has been their biggest downfall but this season seems like a progression as they have improved their squad drastically. However, Arsenal fans have been urging their boss to splash the cash for years in fear of losing their supremacy over their local rivals.
Well, here are a few reasons why North London will remain Red this season.
Loss of Gareth Bale
Tottenham Hotspur sold their talisman this summer to Real Madrid for a world record fee believed to be in the region of £85.3 million, but the feeling is no one will be able to replace the Welsh International. Bale had a stellar season last year scoring 21 goals in the Premier League and he will be truly missed as the 24-year-old scored at some vital times to either secure three points or nick a draw.
Arsenal’s last minute signing of Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil is the best signing of the summer if you’re looking at pure talent. He is without doubt one of the top ten players in the world. The Gunners last season lacked the final ball and the German playmaker could well and truly bring this to the Arsenal team, especially looking at his assist record.
New boys need time to gel and settle in
Tottenham have effectively signed half a new team this season from the money they received from Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid. The influx of new players will need time to settle in and gel. On the other hand, Arsenal have only signed Mesut Ozil and former midfielder Mathieu Flamini, and have a more balance squad than their north London rivals.
European travels
Tottenham have to travel in the region of 5000 miles in Europe as they face Anzhi Makhachkala of Russia, Tromso Idrettslag of Norway and Sheriff Tiraspol from Moldova in their Europa League group. Whereas, Arsenal only need to travel in the region of 1950 miles as they face Borussia Dortmund of Germany, Marseille of France and Napoli of Italy. The Gunners are travelling significantly less than their rivals. Moreover, Spurs will be playing on a Thursday night whereas Arsenal will play on either a Tuesday or Wednesday. This season’s punishing fixture schedule could prove too much for Spurs.
