"To this day there’s a dislike" - Ex-Spurs star says he still has 'hatred' towards Arsenal, admits he had 'personal vendetta' with Thierry Henry

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Paul Robinson candidly expressed a deep-seated animosity towards Arsenal, as well as a "personal vendetta" with Thierry Henry.

Robinson's revelations came during his appearance on Tottenham’s official podcast, where he delved into the North London Derby, particularly the last one at Highbury.

In a match that ended in a 1-1 stalemate, Robinson reminisced about the intense competition, with Robbie Keane's opening goal neutralized by Thierry Henry's equalizer.

He said (via TBR Football):

“That was a performance. There was a togetherness and something in that performance but I still think we had an issue with Arsenal at the time. We were inferior to them. The Tottenham teams I played in were inferior because you look at the quality the Arsenal team had."

A key element in Robinson's rivalry with the club was his personal clash with Thierry Henry. The former goalkeeper recalled an encounter with Henry that saw the France legend score a hat-trick within the first 20 minutes.

“As much as it pains me to say it and I take great pride in every time anyone beats Arsenal, but for me, I think a little bit of that in me, the underlying thing is one because I had a personal vendetta with Thierry Henry. Every time he played it was Thierry four, even at Leeds," Robinson added.

“I remember him playing at Leeds, we were 20 minutes in and I looked up at the scoreboard it was 4-0 and he had three of them already. I think that was the start of it for me, Arsenal always seemed to be a bogey team for me. Obviously playing at Tottenham, the hatred develops and still to this day there’s a dislike there.”

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AC Milan's center-back search continues as they set their sights on Arsenal defender

Following Pierre Kalulu's injury, AC Milan's pursuit of defensive reinforcements has hit a snag, with Gunners defender Jakub Kiwior emerging as a challenging target. Kalulu's injury, sustained in a 2-2 draw against Napoli, will require a four-month recovery period, prompting Milan to consider options for a new center-back in January.

However, Arsenal's firm stance on retaining Kiwior complicates matters for Milan. Kiwior has had limited playtime this season, amounting to just four Premier League games. However, according to Calciomercato (via SempreMilan), the English side has communicated to the Italian side that they would not engage in negotiations involving the defender.

Roma also has its eyes on Kiwior, but the proposition of a loan deal was promptly declined by the Gunners.