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Thomas Frank was sent packing by Tottenham this morning. It was a move that everybody saw coming, but it was more a matter of when, not if. Just as the plausibility of Arsenal's North London rivals being relegated opened up, they had no choice but to part ways.
Spurs' demise, for obvious reasons, was a spectacle that Arsenal fans had their popcorn at the ready for. However, it was made to taste even sweeter by the persistent meme of Thomas Frank being an Arsenal fan.
First, there was the unnecessary drinking out of an espresso cup with an Arsenal badge on the front (as pictured above). Now, Arsenal fans have been given even more ammo, since he made his love of Arsenal no secret, even to the Tottenham players.
Thomas Frank gave Arsenal fans more reason to laugh at Tottenham
According to Matt Law of The Telegraph, Thomas Frank was outwardly obsessed with Arsenal. He would continually make Arsenal references to Tottenham players, which began to frustrate some of the players.
A source told The Telegraph that "[Thomas Frank] was constantly going on to the players about Arsenal, and they quickly got sick of it. Even before and after the game at the Emirates, he was telling them how good Arsenal were. The feeling among some was very much ‘just shut up about Arsenal’.”
Obviously, Arsenal faces Tottenham in the North London Derby next weekend. It would have been the preference of Arsenal fans to see Thomas Frank in the dugout for that one, but it was always a shot in the dark. He certainly overstayed his welcome at Hotspur Way.
Now, Arsenal's biggest rivals have a relegation battle on their hands. There is every likelihood that Arsenal could use that game against Spurs next week to secure their mathematical certainty of finishing above them, but everybody knows that's happening anyway.
A few weeks ago, it was a joke that Arsenal could win the league in the same season that Tottenham got relegated. Since then, though, nobody is laughing about that anymore (except Arsenal fans, obviously). Arsenal has moved closer to winning the league, and Tottenham has moved closer to being relegated.
Expect the upcoming North London Derby to be like no other. Throughout history, Arsenal has had the better of Tottenham on more than one occasion. This time, Arsenal won't want to beat Tottenham; they'll be out to push them further towards the drop-off zone.