Eight times Arsenal and Tottenham’s North London rivalry got petty from stadium demand to sneaky transfer clause
IT’S tough to find two sides that hate each other more than Arsenal and Tottenham.
Both halves of North London will do anything to get one up on their bitter rivals.
And ahead of the potentially title-deciding North London derby this Sunday, SunSport take a look back at when things got petty between the two clubs…
Ground Designs
Arsenal moved from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, taking their capacity up from 38,000 to 60,000.
So when Spurs announced plans to build a new home down White Hart Lane, they of course had to go one step further than their rivals.
The architects deliberately ensured Tottenham‘s ground would be bigger and installed 62,850 seats to secure a little win in the stands.
Fellow rivals West Ham got in on the act after a cheeky Hammers-supporting builder buried a claret and blue scarf in the Spurs stadium’s foundations.
Real talk
Tottenham chief Daniel Levy hatched an ambitious plan to scupper Arsenal’s transfer dealings in 2013.
At the same time they were selling Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for a then world-record fee of £85.1m, Arsenal were in talks to sign Mesut Ozil from the Spanish giants for £42.5m.
During negotiations, Levy reportedly tried to insert a clause into the Bale deal that would prevent Real Madrid from selling players to the Gunners.
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Had it been a success, it would have stopped Ozil moving to the red half of North London.
But, of course, Levy was not able to get one over Arsenal as the German star still made his switch.
Sol searching
Only 15 players have ever played for both Tottenham and Arsenal.
And by far the most controversial is Sol Campbell.
The England defender promised to sign a new contract at Spurs – but instead allowed his deal to run out so he could move to Arsenal on a free transfer.
Tottenham fans have labelled him “Judas” ever since.
Wil I never
Arsenal players celebrated winning the FA Cup in 2015 in style during the club’s trophy parade.
Jack Wilshere, who appeared worse for wear, gave fans an unexpectedly iconic moment.
He grabbed the microphone and shouted: “I have one question, and one question only: what do we think of Tottenham?”
The crowd said “s**t” back and the rest of the chant begun.
Wilshere also kicked-off other anti-Spurs songs from the top of the bus.
Car Blimey
Emmanuel Petit worked with Arsene Wenger at Monaco but in 1996 was seemingly ready to join Spurs.
He was in London meeting with then owner Alan Sugar and after talks he asked for a taxi back to his hotel at Tottenham’s expense.
Wenger heard Petit was in town and got the driver to change route and stop off at the legendary manager’s house.
In the end, the French midfielder chose Arsenal and he went on to win the Premier League and FA Cup double in 1998.
Double trouble
Back in 2014, Theo Walcott wound up Spurs fans with a cheeky gesture.
The winger went down injured and received abuse from Spurs’ away end as he was carried around the pitch on a stretcher.
Walcott responded by holding his fingers up to show the current 2-0 scoreline at the time he was subbed off.
So simple. So petty.
Picture this
After winning 2-0 away from home last season, Gabriel Martinelli threw a red and white scarf on Spurs’ Spidercam.
One fan posted on social media at the time: “The disrespect, love it!”
Celebrate good times
The North London derby is always a fiery clash and players can’t resist a dig when they find the back of the net.
In recent years, Bukayo Saka copied James Maddison’s trademark darts celebration after scoring against Spurs.
And Eric Dier and Son Heung-min have put fingers on their lips after finding the target in front of Arsenal fans at the Emirates.
Tactics Exposed: Why Kai Havertz is Arsenal’s most important player
By Dean Scoggins
KAI HAVERTZ endured a difficult start to life at the Emirates after his big-money move from Chelsea.
But has now well and truly found his feet.
The German, 24, has found his scoring boots in recent weeks, including his double against his old club.
But Havertz has been providing much more than goals in recent months.
In fact he has become Mikel Arteta’s most important player as Arsenal go for the title.
That’s after the Spanish boss made a genius tactical switch.
Click here to read all about it.
Or to watch the brilliant video in full on YouTube.