Back in March, The Express reported that Tottenham Hotspur were feeling confident about their chances of luring PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo to North London.
Lose at home to local rivals Arsenal on Thursday night, however, and that ‘confidence’ will start to look horribly misplaced.
“We are talking about an important game for many different reasons,” Antonio Conte said at his pre-match press conference.
“The first, and most important thing, is we’re playing this game for an important target – a place in the Champions League. I think this has to be the first reason to win this game.”
Now, the importance of bragging rights should not be underestimated. But, as Conte himself explains, the prospect of ‘getting on over’ on your near neighbours pales into relative insignificance when you consider that this game is less a derby, more a straight shoot-out for Champions League qualification.
Win and Spurs will move to within one point of Arsenal with two games remaining. Lose and, well, it’s Thursday night football again. Less Real Madrid, more Rennes. Less Bayern Munich, more Union Berlin.
A crucial North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham
And with Cody Gakpo finding himself at the heart of a North London tug-of-war, the outcome of Thursday’s clash could be a hugely important factor in determining where the £40 million-rated Dutch international is strutting his stuff in 2022/23.
“I try to stay focused on what I am doing now and finishing the season really well. Then, after that, I can focus on something else,” Gakpo told The Sun a couple of weeks ago.
“If I can make a step to a team who plays in the Champions League every season, of course it is my dream.”
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According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal opened talks over a deal to bring Gakpo to the Emirates Stadium last month. Tomorrow night, they can move one step closer to sealing a deal for one of Europe’s most coveted young attackers, while simultaneously taking a sledgehammer to Spurs’ own hopes.
The Gunners famously claimed the 2004 Premier League title at White Hart Lane. While the prize may not be quite so colossal this time around, securing Champions League football at the home of their arch rivals – while knocking Tottenham out the race to secure Gakpo’s signature – would still taste pretty sweet.
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