‘Tottenham have gone way in front of Arsenal as a team’ – Redknapp sees north London power shift

Tottenham have “gone way in front of Arsenal as a team”, says Harry Redknapp, with the balance of power in north London considered to have shifted from red to white.

For a long time, the Gunners enjoyed domestic dominance over their arch-rivals.

Regression was, however, endured at Emirates Stadium towards the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign, with those struggles carrying over into the tenures of Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal have slumped into the bottom half of the table this season, on the back of their worst start to a campaign in 39 years, while Spurs have hit top spot under the guidance of Jose Mourinho.

Redknapp believes Tottenham are now considerably stronger than their rivals, with it likely that standing will be cemented during a derby date between two old adversaries on Sunday.

The former Spurs boss told talkSPORT: “Tottenham have got a good squad.

“They’ve got strength in depth, they’ve got two internationals for every position, it’s a very different looking Tottenham squad and it’s very strong.

“I think they’ve got a real chance [of winning the title].

“The two squads now, there’s no comparison, for me. I think Tottenham have gone way in front of Arsenal as a team.

“I think Arsenal are where I expected them to be, I think they’ll finish up in the top seven or eight, but just about.

“[Mikel] Arteta has got a long job on his hands, I like him but it’s not an easy one, and I think their team is well short.

“I’ve watched them over the last few weeks and I wouldn’t compare them with Tottenham, I think Tottenham will be too strong for Arsenal.”

Defeat for the Gunners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would pile more pressure on Arteta, who has started to face uncomfortable questions of his ongoing presence in the most demanding of roles.

He is expected to be given time to get things right, but the sight of Mourinho and Co sitting at the Premier League summit – and potentially racing off into the distance – will have those on the red half of north London pondering what they need to do in order to enjoy a similar renaissance.