Arsenal sitting in pole position for the Champions League places despite their three-game losing streak occurring just a week ago still surprises me. Imagining how that feels from a Tottenham perspective considering they were near-handed the control of the race and are now two points behind must be tough to take.
Made worse though, or rather much better from an Arsenal perspective, is news that Tottenham’s head coach Antonio Conte could already be off. Le Parisien via GFFN claim that Mauricio Pochettino’s imminent removal as PSG coach has sparked the Italian to offer himself to the French capital club.
There was always doubt that Tottenham was a long-term gig for Conte. This news seems to confirm that is indeed the case. But what would a potential early Conte exit mean for Arsenal?
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The first is dependent upon Arsenal achieving their goal of beating Tottenham to the top four. Although, it is easy to imagine Spurs’ Champions League qualification failure being the main contributor to Conte’s early leave of his role.
Arsenal could find themselves in a situation whereby they can widen the gap considerably to their north London rivals. With Conte at the helm, Spurs had one of the few elite coaches around. Ultimately their ‘Spursyness’ could be even too big of a challenge for the Italian, but I much prefer a Tottenham without Conte than with him.
Whoever takes the reins from Conte is unlikely to be as accomplished a manager as the former Inter Milan title winner. Arsenal have then the opportunity to use their Champions League status to upgrade their squad and ensure that there is not even a race between the two sides in 2022/23.
Secondly, revolves around the potential transfer targets that the two clubs are vying for. Conte has an aura surrounding him that when compared to Mikel Arteta, it is understandable that a player would perhaps choose to work under him.
With him gone, players such as Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala and Tariq Lamptey who are just a small sample of those linked to both clubs, would have less of a reason to choose Spurs. Although, with how the Arsenal players talk up Arteta and his growing reputation in the sport, this gap has closed considerably.
Finally, Conte’s potential switch to PSG and Pochettino’s exit leaves Arsenal facing the possibility of an old rivalry being rekindled. The Argentine faced Arsenal on 15 separate occasions, winning four, losing four and drawing seven. He has one of the best records for taking points away from the Gunners.
Back at the club he managed to take to a Champions League final, his appreciation for the North London derby would return with it. Mikel Arteta is yet to face Pochettino as a coach, but having two coaches so ingrained into the derby’s history could be a recipe for fireworks in what many feel to be the most hate-filled derby in the country.
