Rivalries play a huge part in football culture.
In England, there are many that get fans of the sport excited, from the Tyne-Wear derby up north between Newcastle and Sunderland, all the way down the South Coast Derby contested between Portsmouth and Southampton.
However, the North London Derby may stand out above all, especially from an entertainment point of view, with Arsenal and Tottenham always being a fierce affair.
The news broke on Friday that Tottenham have added former Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham to their board with the former Gunners man becoming the new CEO at Spurs, reports The Athletic.
The 44-year-old left Arsenal at the end of last season after spending 14 years at the Emirates Stadium and he has now committed the sin of joining Tottenham, which no Gunners fan will forgive him for.
Ian Wright was critical of some of Venkatesham’s decisions whilst he was at Arsenal but overall, he helped get the North London club get to where they are today.
In light of this news, here are the five players who played for both North London clubs.
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Sol Campbell
When it comes to playing for both Arsenal and Tottenham, no case is bigger than Sol Campbell’s as his decision to join the Gunners in 2001 after leaving Spurs has never been forgiven by fans of the Lilywhites.
Campbell would become a Premier League great at Arsenal as the English defender would lift two Premier Leagues and three FA Cups with the North London giants.
The defender played six seasons for Arsenal, racking up 187 matches and nine seasons for Tottenham, where he featured in 257 games.
William Gallas
Thierry Henry recently praised William Gallas as he believes people forget how good the defender was in the Premier League; however, the French star would not have many fans in London having played for Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea.
Gallas’ most successful spell came with the Blues, but he did go on to feature in 127 games for the Gunners across four seasons, while spending another four at Tottenham, where he played 76 games.
The French star was a great player in the Premier League and many do forget about the defender, maybe as a result of him playing for all three London rivals, with Chelsea fans the most likely to show him love.
David Bentley
David Bentley’s career was a bit of a strange one as the Englishman played for a lot of clubs throughout his career, making the most appearances for Blackburn Rovers.
The midfielder came through the Arsenal academy but featured very little for the senior team, playing just one game in one season.
After leaving Blackburn in 2008, the former Gunner would commit the sin of joining Tottenham, where he would spend three seasons, racking up 47 appearances.
Bentley’s most famous moment in a Tottenham shirt ironically came against Arsenal in 2008 as the midfielder scored a stunning volley against his old club.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Like Bentley, Emmanuel Adebayor’s career saw the striker play for a whole host of clubs, but his first landing spot in England was with Arsenal.
The Togo star played four seasons at the Emirates Stadium, making 127 appearances before leaving for Man City in 2009, when he then became an enemy of the Gunners fanbase after his famous celebration against the North London club.
That was enhanced further when Adebayor permanently joined Tottenham in 2012, where he would feature in four seasons.
Adebayor tried to win over Arsenal fans with an Instagram post back in 2023 but it will not have worked, as the Gunners fanbase still have no love for their former striker.
The post The four players who played for Arsenal and Tottenham after Vinai Venkatesham news appeared first on HITC.
