Arsenal and Tottenham will be battling for the title next season, but Spurs’ transfer business could see them eclipse the Gunners.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino will fancy his side’s chances of improving on their third position last term
Arsenal somehow managed to eclipse Tottenham Hotspur last term as they leap-frogged their fiercest rivals on the final day of the season.
Many pundits were actually more impressed with Spurs’ effort throughout the campaign, and Arsene Wenger’s men were deemed to have ‘got away with one’ after the late collapse by Pochettino’s boys.
With the new season approaching, Spurs have been the more active club in the transfer market, already bringing in Vincent Janssen and Victor Wanyama and they are very close to completing a deal for Georges-Kevin N’Koudou (Sky Sports).
Spurs’ new recruit Vincent Janssen
The Gunners’ fans however are being treated to the same old lackadaisical, hap-hazard approach to transfers, with one early arrival (Granit Xhaka) followed by a series of failed moves for big name targets.
It is the club’s lack of a Plan B that must get the supporters so frustrated. There seems to be an attitude at the club that if they do not get who they want, they will wait until the final days of the window to see which mega-club are auctioning off their unwanted players – see Mesut Ozil, 2013 and Alexis Sanchez, 2014.
With the current two squads as they are, here is a combined XI, (with neutral colours!):
Click on the link below the selected line-up, build your own team and copy into the comment section.
There are noticeable absentees including Petr Cech, Kyle Walker and Santi Cazorla, but there are strong arguments for the inclusion of every single one of the selected XI.
Should Arsenal’s Petr Cech have made the line-up?
With just four Arsenal players making the grade, that in itself should be enough evidence that the Gunners desperately need to improve their side. Spurs are sixth favourites for the title (SkyBet) and with Arsenal being fourth favourites, that means there are four other teams more likely to challenge Wenger’s men, yet they are dominated by Spurs in a combined XI team.
The Arsenal boss should move now and make at least three top class signings, including a striker, an exciting winger and a centre-back. They have lost three senior squad members in Rosicky, Flamini and Arteta, so the absolute minimum would be another two new arrivals.
The balance of power is definitely beginning to shift in North London, and the outcome will depend heavily on what Arsene Wenger does in the transfer window to address it.
Wenger needs to sign more world-class stars to compliment the likes of Mesut Ozil
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