It’s hard not to feel we’ve have seen this all before and know how it plays out. The sense is the endgame has begun
As they prepare for the north London derby on Sunday, who would you rather be: Arsenal or Tottenham? For the past four years, it wasn’t a question that required much consideration. Even in 2015-16, when Arsenal last finished above Spurs, it felt freakish. The trajectories of the two clubs seemed clear: Spurs were rising, replete with gifted young players and blessed with a charismatic manager whose ideas were notably modern, while Arsenal were sinking in the dotage of a managerial great whose best years were behind him but whose departure would inevitably bring turbulence.
Arsène Wenger’s retirement in 2018 did lead to chaos – or perhaps more accurately, exposed the chaos that was already there. With Ivan Gazidis and Sven Mislintat leaving, only Raul Sanllehi remains of the triumvirate who were supposed to replace him. Major concerns remain about recruitment and particularly the influence of the agent Kia Joorabchian.
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