Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are having massively contrasting 2025-26 seasons. While the Gunners are competing for trophies, Spurs are battling relegation.
Arsenal are at the top of the Premier League table and can still win the title. They are also in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, where they will face Atletico Madrid.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are 18th in the league standings, two points behind West Ham. With five games remaining and no Premier League wins in 2026, they appear to be headed to the EFL Championship next season.
The magic of NLD
The two north London sides are arch-rivals and revel in each other’s misery. Hence, it is natural to believe Arsenal fans would love to see Tottenham get relegated.
However, it is not the case with everyone, as Lauren believes otherwise.
The Cameroonian defender, who was part of the Gunners’ Invincibles side, said he wants Spurs to stay in the Premier League. He said he enjoyed witnessing the North London Derby, especially with Arsenal winning most of the recent ones.
Lauren said (h/t The Standard):
“As an Arsenal fan there is a game we want to see every single season, and that is the north London derby against Tottenham.
“It’s good to be playing your biggest rivals every season. I don’t think Tottenham going down would be good news for Arsenal fans or the Premier League in general.”
“It’s good to play them and beat them and I want that to continue. Tottenham’s relegation would be a big shock to the Premier League but preferably, I would see them stay up and we take some points off them again next season,” he added.
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Tottenham last beat Arsenal in a competitive North London Derby in 2022, when they won 3-0 at home under Antonio Conte.
This helped them beat the Gunners to fourth place in the Premier League standings that season.
Tottenham’s misery in NLD was compounded this season
In the last eight competitive North London derbies, Arsenal have seven wins and one draw. They have beaten Tottenham in all four fixtures in the last two seasons. However, it was even worse this season.
While Spurs at least looked competitive last season, they lost both derbies 4-1 this time around.
In the first game at the Emirates, they managed an xG of just 0.07, marking the lowest xG recorded in the Premier League this season (via Opta).
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These performances and results have pushed Tottenham into relegation, while also helping Arsenal in their title run.
If Spurs manage to stay in the Premier League, they must find a way to be competitive in the North London Derbies. It will give a huge boost to the fans and also get the manager and players more buy-in.
