Troy Deeney leaves Simon Jordan surprised by saying that the English rivalry is bigger than Arsenal vs Tottenham

It was two against one when Simon Jordan was stunned by a proclamation about the biggest derbies in English football.

Former Birmingham striker Troy Deeney joined White & Jordan on talkSPORT to talk about a career that took place in the Premier League, where he left many defenders baffled.

Deeney is best remembered for his time with the Hornets, where he spent 12 seasons, six of which were in the Premier League. However, his heart bleeds blue, having been born in Birmingham and subsequently playing for the club from 2021 to 2023.

During that period, Deeney was unable to participate in the Second City Derby against Aston Villabut he still inflicted a lot of pain on his boyhood club's rivals, scoring six goals in five games and winning four of them.

Deeney was still able to watch the derby from afar while at Watford, and when Jim White said it was the best British atmosphere he had experienced outside of Celtic v Forest rangerThere was no disagreement on the part of the former forward.

“I think, personally, we are bigger than Tottenham-Arsenal,” he said. “In terms of rivalry absolutely.”

Co-host Simon Jordan She was audibly and visibly stunned, saying, “What?!

“It's such a rare game that Birmingham can barely play against Villa because they're back where they belong in the lower tiers.”

However, Deeney didn't take the bait and instead discussed the rivalry in more detail and revealed that she might have actually ended up wearing burgundy and blue.

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“I had the opportunity to join Villa,” he said with great surprise. “My best friend let me know it wouldn't be a good idea and he told me they wanted me to remove my Birmingham City tattoo.

“It was part of the conversation in 2013 or 2014. However, I wouldn't have removed it and it didn't go too far. My best friend is Birmingham City and all my family are, except my brother. “It would have been a difficult place to live and see family if I had played for Villa.”

Admitting his admiration for the Midlands side, who currently sit fourth in the Premier League, Deeney added: “It's a proper club and now they're run correctly and doing things the right way, I think they're going to keep building.

“I think it's really good for the city to have two clubs that are hopefully up and running now and the infrastructure is being put in place – it's been difficult for the last 15 or 16 years if I'm honest.”