Things are hotting up again as the North London Derby edges closer and closer, and former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has found himself in the spotlight again after his chants.
The sides have been fairly well-watched in recent league meetings. Arsenal have beaten their rivals once, Spurs have won twice and there have been two draws.
This time, a lot is on the line for both sides – both fanbases are growing restless with the managers at the two clubs so claiming bragging rights in north London would go a long way to silencing the doubters for a while.
One player who thrived off of the intensity of the fiercely competitive encounter was English midfielder Wilshere, who is currently without a club.
In 2015, the 29-year-old fanned the flames of the rivalry at Arsenal’s FA Cup victory parade.
The squad were doing a parade around the local area, singing and cheering with the flooded streets of fans, when Wilshere got hold of the microphone and began to sing anti-Tottenham chants with supporters.
He called out to the masses: “What do we think of Tottenham?”
To which Gunners fans called back: “S***!”
Wilshere then asked: “What do we think of s***?”
The crowds called back: “Tottenham!”
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(Image: GETTY)
Wilshere replied: “Thank you,”
And the Gunners fans replied: “That’s aright,” before harmoniously singing: “We hate Tottenham, we hate Tottenham.”
Obviously, along with the other chants that Wilshere led, the few minutes made Wilshere a hero amongst supporters and a villain for Spurs fans.
The explicit song took social media by storm and is still well-recognised by all football fans.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
But, the chants may be more fondly remembers by Gunners fans than the man himself as the FA fined Wilshere £40,000 and gave him a severe warning.
The following statement was released on the FA’s website: “Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere has been fined £40,000 and severely warned as to his future conduct after admitting to a charge of misconduct,
“Wilshere was found guilty of making and/or inciting certain comments during the club’s open bus trophy tour after their FA Cup Final victory, with his conduct deemed to be improper and bringing the game into disrepute.”
As an iconic moment in the recent history of the rivalry, Wilshere probably won’t regret his actions from six years ago. He will be hoping that his former teammate, Mikel Arteta, can guide Arsenal to victory on Sunday afternoon.