Chelsea, Spurs or Arsenal - which London side has the strongest squad this season?

Chelsea, Spurs or Arsenal - which London side has the strongest squad this season? 

By Jonny Bray
Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal have enjoyed excellent starts to the season.
The Gunners are undefeated while the Blues and Spurs played out an excellent 2-2 draw after impressive opening day wins. 
But which of these three London sides have the strongest squad heading into the rest of the season?

Chelsea

Chelsea are so strong at the back. 
They have countless stars, with some exciting young players coming through. 
In the heart of midfield they're arguably the best in the league, with a variety of versatile talents from N'Golo Kanté to Conor Gallagher. 
They would win this debate hands down were it not for their achilles heel, the lack of a recognised centre-forward.
When their wingers are at their best this isn't too much of a problem, but now they're out of form, it's clear they need more options. 
Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz are both outstanding players, but Romelu Lukaku's nightmare second spell at Stamford Bridge has left them without a player who can lead the line alone.

Arsenal 

This Arsenal squad have come so far in two years. 
Back at the start of the 2020/21 season it felt like the Gunners squad lacked quality and depth. 
But now, the starting XI has more quality than you can shake a stick at. 
That is, in part, thanks to some good recruitment with stars such as Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Aaron Ramsdale heading to The Emirates in recent years. 
But it is also down to some excellent work from the academy to bring through two absolute diamonds in Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe. 
The only criticism of the squad is that it lacks depth in certain areas.
There are question marks surrounding the back-up goalkeeper in Matt Turner and at left-back where Kieran Tierney has struggled to go a season without a prolonged spell out due to injury.
Then, in midfield, there is a huge drop off from Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey to Mohamed Elneny. 
The squad is clearly moving in the right direction, but there is still some way to go. 

Tottenham

Let's try and approach this impartially. 
Under any other manager, fans would be forgiven for looking at this Tottenham squad and laughing. 
A 33-year-old Ivan Perišić? 
Two Juventus rejects in Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski? 
Eric Dier at the heart of the defence with, of all people, Ben Davies to his left? 
Spurs fans wanted half their squad out of the club this time last season. 
But the other North London side and Italian maestro Antonio Conte appear to be a match made in heaven. 
The former Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan boss has a knack for squeezing every drop of talent out of unfancied players, as seen with Victor Moses and David Luiz in West London.
And at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium he also has some world-class talent at his disposal. 
Of course, there is Harry Kane, and Son Heung-min, but Conte can also rely on the underrated Brazilian Richarlison and the rock-solid Argentine Cristian Romero. 
So, on paper this squad is a bit of a train wreck, but under Conte you can see how the fascinating mix of versatile talents could excel this season. 

Conclusion. 

Arsenal's squad lacks depth. 
Chelsea have depth in certain areas, but gaping holes in others, particularly at centre-forward. 
And while Spurs have depth and some world-class players, much of their starting XI are relying on the top-quality coaching from Conte. 
So, it is a tough call. 
However, based on what fans have seen so far this season you have to give the nod to Chelsea, who look set to challenge at the top of the league and in Europe.
Photo Credit: Getty Images

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