It is safe to say that Tottenham Hotspur is now London’s best club. A decade ago, this was unthinkable with Arsenal and Chelsea having been so-called “big two clubs” at the time while Spurs were a moderate club who regularly had to settle for a place in the UEFA Cup which is now known as the Europa League.
The Lilywhites will also be favored to finish above their London rivals this season. Chelsea do not appear to have a clear vision for this season. Maurizio Sarri left the club during the off-season to take charge of Juventus and in the process became the first
full-time manager since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 to not be sacked. The Blues new manager Frank Lampard has been forced to utilize young talent from within the club and make do with what was left behind by Sarri. Chelsea were a little too over-reliant on Eden Hazard who scored 21 times in all competitions for them last season so it is hard to see where their goals will come from. One thing is certain though, it is that Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic will get their chance to sparkle this season.
Lampard only started his managerial career at the beginning of last season with Championship club Derby County. He managed to take them to the Championship promotion-playoff final which they lost against Aston Villa but failed to make a notable impression. Managing a club such as Chelsea is a massive step up after just one season and he will need to hope that youth do the job for him just as it has done for Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham.
Arsene Wenger finally resigned as Arsenal coach at the end of the 2017/18 season which caused a great deal of relief among Arsenal fans. Many fans wanted the Frenchman out because the club was clearly regressing towards the end of his reign after having not qualified for the Champions League during his last two seasons in charge. The Gunners did show some positive signs under Unai Emery last season but there was no significant progress. They once again finished outside the top four and while they did reach the Europa League final, they were comprehensively outplayed by Chelsea during the final who did not even need to work hard.
For Chelsea and Arsenal, a top four finish will be impressive this season. Spurs will take nothing less than a top four finish. Pochettino has a talented squad which has a fantastic chemistry which is something that Arsenal and Chelsea have lacked during recent seasons. Spurs stars Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko have not even reached the peak of their careers yet. Tottenham will be aiming for nothing less than a deep run in the Champions League this season as well as a Premier League title push.
The North Londoners are currently a more stable unit than Arsenal and Chelsea and it is safe to say that they will probably be London’s premier football club during the near-future.