‘That became more personal’ – Dele Alli on Tottenham’s bitter rivalry with Chelsea

Arsenal may be Tottenham Hotspur’s long-standing and most fierce rivals, but it hasn’t always been that way. That’s the opinion of Dele, who insists Chelsea were a bigger deal when he was playing for the Lilywhites.

Dele joined Tottenham in 2015 and had a phenomenal impact as a young midfielder breaking through in the Premier League.

He would go on to score 67 goals and register 59 assists in 269 appearances for Spurs (Transfermarkt). Dele contributed huge goals in key moments for Mauricio Pochettino‘s side through the years and was a key figure at the club throughout that era.

Chelsea were a bigger deal than Arsenal

Reflecting on his time at Tottenham as part of an appearance on Monday Night Football (broadcast on 15/4 at 6:55 pm), Dele considered the London rivalries at play and explained why Chelsea were actually a much bigger deal than Arsenal during his spell at Spurs.

He said: “I don’t know why but during my time at Tottenham I felt like Arsenal and Tottenham always had the rivalry, but the Chelsea vs Tottenham thing, that became more personal.

“We always wanted to beat them and we had the Battle of the Bridge and games like that. I think the dynamic changed and we weren’t concentrating on Arsenal as much, it was more Chelsea. And then… it changes, maybe Arsenal have taken over a bit more right now but I think Tottenham are going through a transition and hopefully they can get back on top.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I think the rivalry between Spurs and Arsenal has always been more a matter of circumstance and geography, and we’ve never really seen the Gunners as a real threat.

The Chelsea rivalry, on the other hand, is more bitter and the two clubs despise each other, largely because Chelsea got above their station and became a really unlikeable outfit in the way they bought success over the years.

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