Have Spurs had a better season than Arsenal if they win Europa League? Final gives Tottenham fans chance at rivalry banter

The rivalry between north London foes Tottenham and Arsenal rears its head every single season, not least as the two fanbases jab at each other as often as they can — however contrived the arguments might sometimes seem.

Living within this constant back-and-forth means not only kicking your opponent when they're down, but also conjuring favourable narratives in the toughest of times to keep the playing field level.

That's been the case throughout the run-up to Tottenham's appearance in the 2024/25 Europa League final, where they will meet Manchester United to battle for a hotly contested European trophy.

It's been a difficult season for Spurs, who are toiling down in the bottom of Premier League table. Yet they are set to play for something Arsenal have never achieved — a major European title (unless you include the 1993/94 Cup Winners' Cup or 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Spurs fans certainly would not).

Thus, a vocal faction of Spurs supporters — and a few pundits — have suggested to their derby rivals that a win in the Europa League final would mean that Tottenham have had a better season than Arsenal. Given the cavernous gap between them in the Premier League table, that seems like a ridiculous thing to say, but is there merit to the argument? Or is it nothing more than a jealous jibe?

The Sporting News breaks it down from all angles to see who's had the "better" season, as these two teams live rent-free in the minds of the opposition.

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Obviously, this conversation starts with Tottenham winning the Europa League title by beating Manchester United in the final on Wednesday in Bilbao, Spain.

Clearly, if they lose that game, the debate is a non-starter. But Tottenham fans have already begun leveraging a potential European title on their north London rivals, and should they emerge victorious, you can bet they'll remind the Gunners how many trophies they have to show for their efforts.

Let's break it down from both sides, assuming Tottenham win the Europa League title, and see if we can make the argument stick.

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Why Tottenham will have had a better season than Arsenal

Because (hypothetically) they've won something. Specifically, a European title.

Arsenal might have made waves in the more glamourous Champions League, but they still fell in the semifinals of that competition. While the merits of each tournament's place in the hierarchy can be debated, the euphoria of lifting a European trophy — any European trophy — tops a semifinal exit from any other.

The point of view is at least somewhat sympathetic. Clubs will sacrifice nearly everything if it means getting their hands on silverware in Europe. Heck, it's on full display in this final, as both Spurs and their opponents Manchester United decided to punt on the league completely in favour of a European push.

Arsenal, for all their efforts, have ended the season empty-handed.

Why Arsenal will have had a better season than Tottenham

Once the debate pushes past the overtly simplistic "we won a trophy," everything else tips in Arsenal's favour.

First of all, Arsenal finishing second in the Premier League standings while Tottenham are flailing in 17th does most of the heavy lifting. The enormous gulf in standing between the two sides domestically is enough to start and end the conversation.

Even removing that talking point, however, the Gunners still vastly outperformed Tottenham. Arsenal reached the last four of the Champions League, which is a vastly superior competition to the Europa League. Even if Spurs were to lift the trophy, it would not make up for the gap in prestige that comes with reaching the Champions League semifinals.

To illustrate that point, the winner of the Europa League will take home €8.6 million ($9.7m) in prize money for winning the title, which is just over half the €15 million ($16.6m) Arsenal earned for simply reaching the Champions League final four.

While Spurs eliminated the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt in the later stages of their run to the final, Arsenal put Real Madrid to the sword and defeated finalists Paris Saint-Germain at different stages of their Champions League campaign.

No matter how much Ange Postecoglou plays down the prize that comes with the Europa League title, the fact that Spurs have fought all season just to qualify for the competition Arsenal reached the semifinals of says all you need to know.

Trophy or not, Arsenal's season has been vastly superior, and the hubris necessary to argue the contrary based on the assumption they will win the Europa League final before it's begun means Tottenham fans risk angering the vengeful football gods.