The North London Divide | Where Arsenal and Tottenham Collide!

What exactly is going on at the Emirates at the moment? Despite being a key member of Arsenal’s squad for a number of seasons now, Gael Clichy is reportedly set to undergo a medical with Manchester City today with a view to a move believed to be in the region of £7m. On top of this, Samir Nasri will likely be following his fellow Frenchman out the exit door. It is difficult for Arsenal if both players want to leave but I think there must come a point when they have to stand firm.

The facts are that Arsenal came up short when it mattered once again last season. They were arguably lacking in one or two positions, but overall, their first eleven should have been a decent match for anyone other side in the Premier League. In the end, the Gunners could only manage a very disappointing 4th place, a full 12pts behind Manchester Utd. While some will say they at least managed to secure a chance of Champions League football, something Spurs could not do, this isn’t really good enough for a side that should be challenging for the title.

With the continual speculation surrounding Cesc Febregas’ future at the club, surely the last thing Arsenal should be doing is selling two of their other best players to one of their biggest rivals in Manchester City. Personally, I’ll be surprised if Febregas doesn’t make the move to Spain before the start of the season. The Arsenal captain must be seriously questioning what he can achieve at a club that continues to allow their best players to move on without appearing to put up much of a fight. On top of this, Theo Walcott is being strongly linked with a move to Chelsea.

While I can understand the mentality of allowing want away players to leave if the price is right, there has to come a time when enough is enough. Previous sales have worked out very well for Arsenal but these have generally been with players that are coming to their peak or possibly just past. Vieira, Petit, Overmars and Toure were all good business. I don’t think the sales of Clichy, Nasri or Febregas will work out as well for a club that has gone so long without winning a trophy.