London Derby Against Tottenham Hotspur Postponed, Arsenal Accused of Abusing Premier League Rules

• The London derby scheduled for Sunday was eventually postponed at the request of the Arsenal team
• Arsenal requested a postponement as they could not field enough players for their games against Tottenham Hotspur
• Arsenal have come under fire after they requested a postponement for their game against Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal have found themselves in hot water after the postponement of the Premier League derby against Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal requested the postponement in the fixture against Tottenham with the Premier League board granting their request 24 hours before the match scheduled for Sunday.

Arsenal asked for the postponement as they didn't have enough players available in order to contest the derby on Sunday, SkySports reported. Arsenal stated that Covid19 induced absences, injuries and players competing at AFCON meant that they didn't have enough players to field a full squad.

The postponement though has angered many who feel that Arsenal took advantage of the rules which state that every club is eligible to apply for a postponement if Covid19 is one of the factors in their application.

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According to Goal.Com former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara labelled the situation as a disgrace.

"Abusing the rules, sent players on loan a week ago then ask for games to get called off cos there confident enough in the squad they have, disgrace from the premier league meant to set the standard for every other league and it’s a shambles," he posted on Twitter.

Others echoed these sentiments, feeling that Arsenal couldn't claim they didn't have enough players when they had sent players on loan.

@RazzaLUFC91:

"I'll keep saying it, injuries are NO reason for postponements! Clubs are using the pandemic for their own gain now, it's become an absolute farce."

@tobtipp:

"Delighted to play Leeds when we had a bench of kids (one 15 year old). Sneaky move this....hope it's met with the response and contempt it deserves."

@Immy8774:

"Hahahahahh cried none stop last week & talked about “we don’t make excuses we play” & now want the game called off cos of injuries. Got like 2 covid cases"

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@conj1991:

"Clubs should be made to reimburse all traveling fans for cost they have already spent. Fans spend alot of money on going to games. Many would have already bought trains, hotel etc - as normal travelling fans are the last to get thought about. Arsenal have 1 covid case btw"

EPL Done Deals: All Completed January Deals with Coutinho, Trippier Among Big Transfers

In other English Premier League news, the January transfer window is hotting up as Premier League clubs push to strengthen their squads before the window closes at the end of the month, Sports Brief reported.

Last summer was marked with some of the biggest transfers, with Man City, United, Arsenal, and Chelsea among the clubs who spent big. City splashed an eyewatering £100million to land Jack Grealish, with the Red Devils re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo.

On their part, Chelsea spent £97million to land Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan as the Gunners splashed on Ben White, Martin Odeegard among others. While January is always a tough month for clubs to get deals done, a number of teams have attempted to piece together huge transfers.