Transfer analysis: Arsenal vs Tottenham transfer records since Arteta arrived in 2019 compared

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North London derby Wednesday night 

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This Wednesday pits a north London derby at the Emirates with the unusual factor of the Premier League fixture being a midweek clash under the lights. Both sides go into the match depleted by injuries and in questionable form. Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus joined Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri on the injury list with an ACL injury picked up in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United. Tottenham remain without both first-choice centre-backs and their no.1 goalkeeper Guglielme Vicario. The Gunners have just crashed out of the FA Cup and need a miracle at St James’ Park to stay in the EFL Cup after a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle. Meanwhile, Tottenham are 13th in the Premier League, 16 points behind the Gunners and needed extra-time to get past non-league Tamworth in the FA Cup.

Whichever side and manager that loses on Wednesday night at the Emirates looks sure to face serious questions. After coming so close to winning the title in each of the last two seasons, Arsenal remain trophy-less in the last four campaigns under Mikel Arteta, whilst some suspect that Spurs are beginning to go backwards under Ange Postecoglou. Often one of the sticks used to beat both teams is the money they have spent in recent seasons which has ultimately led to no silverware. So how do the North London rivals compare when we look at their transfer spends since Arteta arrived at Arsenal in December 2019? At Transfermarkt, we have crunched the numbers.

Given the €116.6m signing of Declan Rice and the rhetoric often floated around that Arteta has spent huge amounts of money at Arsenal, many people may be surprised that, in fact, since the Spaniard took the Arsenal job in December 2019, Arsenal’s north London rivals Spurs have spent more money on transfers. In that timeframe, the Gunners have splashed out €792 million on new signings, while Tottenham have spent €858m. Those figures mean in that period Arsenal have the fifth highest spend in world football, whilst Tottenham have the fourth highest – only Chelsea, PSG and Manchester United have spent more.

When it comes to net spend (money spent on transfers – money made from selling players) the clubs are almost identical, but Spurs also come out slightly worse than the Gunners since Arteta arrived at the Emirates. Tottenham’s net spend stands at -€567m, with Arsenal’s at -€565m. Arsenal’s record signing in that time was Rice, with Spurs’ being their €64.4m acquisition of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth last summer. In that period, Spurs have brought in 34 players on permanent deals, with Arsenal bringing 27 to the Emirates.

Arguments could be made that both sides’ spends has come to no avail just yet, with the trophy cabinets bare at both clubs in the last five years, bar one FA Cup triumph for Arteta’s team in 2020. However, if we look at both team’s performances in the Premier League compared to the money they have spent, the Gunners come out well on top. Arsenal have taken a total of 376 points under Arteta, whilst in that same period Tottenham have taken just 316 points. When we equate in both club’s spending, it means Arsenal have paid around €2.11m per Premier League point, with Spurs paying around €2.72m per point.

Above, we have equated an XI of the players that have arrived at either Arsenal or Tottenham for the highest transfer fees since January 2020. Six Arsenal players are in the line-up – David Raya (€31.9m from Brentford), Riccardo Calafiori (€45m from Bologna), Ben White (€58.5m from Brighton), Thomas Partey (€50m from Atlético Madrid), Rice (€116.6m from West Ham), and Kai Havertz (€75m from Chelsea). The five Spurs players included are Micky Van De Ven (€40m from Wolfsburg), Cristian Romero (€52m from Atalanta), Richarlison (€58m from Everton), Solanke (€64.3m from Bournemouth), and Brennan Johnson (€55m from Nottingham Forest). Interestingly, the entire front-line is made up of Tottenham players, with Arsenal currently being somewhat vilified for their lack of investment in attackers. However, they are largely expected to bring in a forward this January.

Arsenal’s current squad value stands at €1.15 billion. Tottenham’s just €795.8m. Despite the statistics outlined in this article highlighting that Arsenal have actually got a lot more for their money than their north London counterparts in recent seasons, one factor that should be taken into consideration is the youthfulness of Spurs’ current squad. When Arteta first arrived and Arsenal were languishing in eighth in the Premier League table, the Gunners opted to bring in young stars and significantly got the squad’s average age down with a long-term plan in place. It feels as though Tottenham have more recently adopted a similar model but are much earlier in the fruition of that method than Arsenal. In the last two seasons, Spurs have brought in 10 players aged 22 or younger.

Arteta has taken a lot of flack of late, and some of it deservedly due. Their style of play has been inadequate of a Premier League winning side at times, and his team have often lacked urgency or ideas. However, it should be remembered what the Spaniard inherited at Arsenal, and the numbers outlined above prove that their spending hasn’t perhaps been as lavish as some people think. For Tottenham, the numbers are slightly worrying given their current league position. However, the club have been ravished by injuries of late and have a very young side that should be given time to develop. The outcome at the Emirates this Wednesday has the ability to change the narrative of both club’s season in what should be a fiery north London derby under the lights.