Tottenham Hotspur V Arsenal: Emmanuel Adebayor Crosses the Great Divide

Not many things in life unite fans of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The two historic North London rivals generally don't have much of a common bond other than the use of the upper reaches of the Piccadilly and Victoria lines.

However, one thing they both used to share was a hatred of striker Emmanuel Adebayor. 

Spurs fans were made sick of the sight of the big Togolese as he scored a whopping eight goals against them in nine derby appearances. The N17 faithful particularly took a dislike to the touchline dances he used to share with Thierry Henry when scoring on such occasions.

Although Adebayor failed to score in three games against them upon his move to Manchester City, he came back to haunt them when he scored twice for Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat that truly popped Tottenham's Euro bubble.

Throughout his tormenting of Tottenham, certain sections of the club's fans responded with a most unpleasant chant that managed to insult both of his parents and pretty much the entire continent of Africa in just 10 words. As distasteful as the avenue for their disdain was, the message was clear.

That hatred was soon taken up with relish by Arsenal supporters when, after an incredible break-out 2007-08 season which saw him score 30 goals (including a memorable one in the 2-0 win over Milan at the San Siro), the problems began to start. Adebayor, aware of his star rising, began agitating for a move elsewhere, first to Milan, then to Barcelona and, finally, to Manchester City.

As he sulked and moped around looking for a move, his lack of commitment was clear to see, and the Gunners' supporters had had enough of him. Arsenal nearly bit City's hand off when they offered £25 million for him.

When Adebayor marked his first game against Arsenal at Eastlands by stamping on Robin van Persie and then, after scoring, sprinting the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of his former fans, his place in the bad books of all North London was secured.

But the nature of football means that such stories can often have a new chapter written into them, a new layer added to an already rich narrative and a chance for redemption. Such is the case this Sunday, when Adebayor will again face Arsenal at White Hart Lane, only this time as a Tottenham player.

After his loan spell at Real Madrid ended and Adebayor returned to find himself frozen out at City, marked out as a dressing room nuisance who was surplus to requirements, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp took the punt on signing him on loan for the season.

It was a canny move by Redknapp, who showed he had no problem with players crossing the great divide when he signed former Arsenal captain William Gallas on the free transfer the previous summer.

Gallas played the full 90 minutes of both derbies last season as Spurs took four points off Arsenal, and in particular was immense in the 3-2 win at the Emirates. Any misgivings about signing the veteran French defender from down the road have all but been forgotten. Gallas is a Tottenham player now. 

Redknapp backed Adebayor to succeed in making the same move, no less controversial for some despite his arrival being via two other clubs. The Spurs boss's logic was that he was signing a proven top Premier League striker with a point to prove—always an enticing prospect for a manager to take on—and that Spurs fans should love him because the Arsenal fans continue to hate him so much.

Adebayor has instantly repaid that faith and won over his new fans, scoring three goals in his first three appearances for the club. While he did no get on the scoresheet in his last game against Wigan, his assist for Rafael van der Vaart's goal shows plenty of promise that the pair can enjoy a partnership at least as fruitful as the one the Dutchman shared with Peter Crouch last season.

With far greater technical ability, pace and aerial quality than his predecessor, Adebayor has also shown already how well he can link up with Luka Modric and Gareth Bale. Few would argue with the verdict that a motivated Adebayor is a definite step up in quality from that of Crouch, now departed for Stoke.

The key word there is motivated. The fact that the striker is on a season-long loan is another upshot of the deal, as it means Adebayor will not be allowed to rest on his laurels the way he did at Arsenal and City. If tantrums and hissy fits are to creep back into his behaviour over the course of the year, then he will become City's problem came next summer in any case.

What more motivation could Adebayor need than to face the club at which he was once adored in a huge derby game on Sunday? Like many other ex-Gunners, he has admitted several times that he still loves Arsenal even after leaving the club. So much so that he even wore an Arsenal shirt when recording a video message in the wake of the Togo team bus being attacked in Angola back in January 2010.

His 70-yard sprint and celebration in front of his former fans at Eastlands shows just how much their abuse hurt him, and how much he wanted to show that he is still a top-class striker.

Whatever his reasons, Spurs fans would love to see him do the same at The Lane on Sunday.