Chelsea were hailed as the biggest club in London after Thomas Tuchel’s men lifted the Champions League for the second time in their history.
However, even former Tottenham ace Jamie O’Hara was forced to admit that’s a load of rubbish, insisting arch rivals Arsenal are easily the capital’s top guns.
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The Blues beat the odds on Saturday as they upset runaway Premier League champions Manchester City, triumphing over Pep Guardiola’s side in the European Cup.
It’s the latest chapter of the west London club’s remarkable success story under owner Roman Abramovich, who has now delivered 17 trophies, including five Premier League titles and now two Champions Leagues, since buying the Blues in 2003.
It’s clear Chelsea have been the dominant force in London in the Abramovich era, with the Russian billionaire bringing a huge boost to the club’s status.
talkSPORT host and former Blues striker Tony Cascarino explained after Saturday night’s final win in Porto how former owner Ken Bates planned for Chelsea to be the biggest in London, which he believes has certainly now been achieved with their second Champions League title tipping the balance of power in the capital.
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“Ken Bates stated, ‘it might not be with me, but Chelsea can become the biggest club in London’,” said the Weekend Sports Breakfast host.
“I think it’s hard to debate with their success in the last decade, that’s certainly the achievements he’s talked about have been served. They’ve done that.”
But the history books say otherwise.
Arsenal are historically a massive institution of English football, which is easy to forget after Mikel Arteta’s men finished eighth in the Premier League this season.
They dwarf Chelsea in number of league titles won [13 to 6] and also in FA Cup victories [a record 14 to 8].
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Trevor Sinclair believes Chelsea’s Champions League double now means they have taken the mantle of London’s biggest club.
“I think there are,” Sinclair said on Monday’s talkSPORT Breakfast.
“What they’ve achieved over the last ten years has been incredible, I think the stadium needs work but Cobham is unbelievable as a training facility, you look at the playing squad and what they’ve achieved over the last ten years.
“You have to look at them as the top club in London. I think Tottenham have got a long way to go, they’ve got the best stadium, obviously, but they’ve got a long way to go to match what Chelsea are doing.
“And Arsenal are obviously a huge football club, but they’re not doing it on the pitch, and unless they start investing in their playing staff they’re not going to be the No.1 in London.
“There are a lot of big clubs in London, but I do feel Chelsea are leading the way.”
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But even ex-Spurs ace O’Hara was forced to admit old rivals Arsenal still hold the capital’s crown, insisting you can’t argue with history.
“I disagree, sorry Trev,” he said.
“I’m a Spurs fan, but you can’t get away from the fact Arsenal are the biggest club in London.
“If you’re going on history, real success over a football club, fanbase and everything that comes with a football club, I’m sorry…
“Chelsea are the most successful club in London right now, we know that, they’ve got a billionaire owner and they are the most successful club…”
Chelsea vs London - The biggest club in London?
Chelsea – 30 trophies:
Premier League/First Division: 6
FA Cup: 8
EFL Cup: 5
Community Shield: 4
Champions League: 2
Europa League: 2
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 2
UEFA Super Cup: 1
Arsenal – 47 trophies:
First Division/Premier League: 13
FA Cup: 14 (record)
EFL Cup: 2
Community Shield: 16
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1
European Fairs Cup: 1
Sinclair replied: “But how many decades do you have to go back to start bringing Arsenal’s results and silverware into play?
“It’s a ludicrous argument!”
O’Hara replied: “You can class it as a stupid argument because they’re both huge football clubs, but at the end of the day if you’re asking who is bigger, who is the biggest club in London, it’s Arsenal!
“They’ve won the most trophies, they’ve been the most successful club.”
Whose side are you on?
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