Ian Wright 'afraid' of Tottenham after win over Real Madrid and admits he is jealous given Arsenal's recent struggles

With Arsenal in the Europa League, Wednesday's emphatic result felt like a statement to Wright that Spurs have surpassed their north London rivals

Dele Alli guided Tottenham to an emphatic 3-1 victory over Real Madrid (Getty)

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has admitted that Tottenham Hotspur’s emphatic 3-1 victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday night has left him “afraid” that Spurs are soaring above the Gunners, with their result over the reigning European champions enough to make him “jealous” of his old rivals.

Spurs secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages with two games to spare after defeating Madrid at Wembley Stadium in a result that joins the best in their history, with midfielder Dele Alli scoring twice before Christian Eriksen secured the win.

Such a victory over significant opposition – having held them to a 1-1 draw in the away fixture two weeks ago – has sent reverberations across Europe with the message that Mauricio Pochettino’s side are not one to be taken lightly this season, and after watching the historic game on Wednesday, Wright believes that Spurs are starting to fulfil the potential that they have hinted at over the last two years.

“I've always been afraid of the Tottenham emergence, because it's been coming,” Wright said on BBC Five Live.

“Since Pochettino's got there it's been steadily rising and rising and the only thing you feel that is going to hold Tottenham back is ‘will [chairman] Daniel Levy pay the players the kind of money that is going to keep them there?’. That's all it's going to come down to.

“This is a great manager with great, young, ambitious players. They're not fly by night players, they look like they're the real deal. Tonight's result against Real Madrid, they hammered them. And it's a team that's still got a lot more to give.”

While Spurs excel in the Champions League, Wright’s former team, Arsenal, find themselves in the Europa League for the first time since Arsene Wenger joined the club in 1996, and they currently sit outside the top four in the Premier League behind the two Manchester clubs, City and United, Spurs and Chelsea – who they are level on points with.

Wright has been particularly critical of Arsenal over the last 18 months from the running of the club to the lack of desire shown by the players, and after watching Spurs at Europe’s top table, he could not help but admit his jealousy with how Spurs are handling their business presently – both on and off the pitch.

“It's something as an Arsenal man, sitting here, it's a frightening prospect seeing their progression, it really is. And jealousy does come into it,” Wright added.

Spurs only need one victory from their last two Champions League matches against Borussia Dortmund and Apoel Nicosia to guarantee top spot in Group H and progress to the last-16 as a seeded team, which would see them avoid the rest of the group winners that currently includes Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.