Arsenal

Scarlet Katz Roberts
Fan writer

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Season score out of 10 and overriding emotion?

10/10. But the overriding emotion has been anxiety (only recently subsided).

Best moment and why?

"After review, West Ham number 19..." - just joking, that was horrible! Honourable mentions must go to Gabriel's late winner at St James' Park, Eberechi Eze's hat-trick against Spurs. But the dizziest high was watching Max Dowman accelerate away from the Everton defence. That game was horrendously nervy. To turn defending your own goal with a narrow lead in the last minute of stoppage time into a sure goal over that distance is pure football magic.

Player of season and why?

Outstanding performers this season have been: Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel and David Raya. But the player of the season simply has to be Rice. His quality, determination and sheer force of will make him an undeniable champion.

Unsung hero and why?

Myles Lewis-Skelly has had a strange campaign. After such a rapid rise in 2024-25, there was always the risk of second-season syndrome. For a time, I thought perhaps he would move on this summer. But to step in at such a high-pressure moment in the season and reassert himself as a fan favourite by playing some exceptional football in midfield is a testament to his ability, and also his strength of character.

Biggest disappointment?

It's hard to be disappointed when you finish the season as champions. The biggest drain on my well of positivity this year has been the exhausting stream of injuries to significant players. It almost threatened to derail the entire season in April. We just about kept going, but we have to find a better way of keeping our best players fit.

What needs to change this summer?

The negativity about Arsenal because I'm sick to death of hearing that we are bad champions, a bad football team or somehow bad for football. It's simply not true, and it's sour grapes - it has to stop.

Major hope for next season?

Let's do this more. Winning feels good. The pressure's off, so let's get comfortable at the top.

Find more from Scarlet Katz Roberts at the Goal Difference podcast, external

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Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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Winger Noni Madueke says that winning the Premier League title will not affect how he and his Arsenal team-mates prepare for the Champions League final.

The Gunners take on Paris-St Germain in Budapest on Saturday as they try to win Europe's elite club competition for the first time.

However, Madueke does not accept that the "pressure is off" after winning the first league title in 22 years.

"No. It's separate. The pressure of the Champions League is there," said the 24-year-old.

"This is Arsenal Football Club. One of the biggest teams in England. Pressure is always with us.

"The Champions League is, of course, the big one. So we're looking forward to it."

Manager Mikel Arteta has said his squad can now take confidence when attempting to win more trophies after getting over the line following so many near misses.

"It is definitely better that we won the Premier League before we go into the Champions League final," Madueke added.

"I just don't know if we will be thinking about that. We will be thinking about getting another one. I think the Premier League will be irrelevant on that night.

"It will be full focus on the Champions League, just giving our all and trying to make sure we bring that to the final as well."

It would be a historic double if Arsenal are able to overcome the side that knocked them out of the competition last season at the semi-final stage.

And the thought of making history is something that motivates Madueke.

"The Premier League is massive, but the Champions League is so big," he said. "To be able to do that for the first time in the history of the club would be amazing.

"And then to celebrate it with all the Arsenal fans would be the cherry on top."

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Not for the first time, the biggest story in the Premier League is hard to nail down this week. Surely it was Arsenal winning the title and finally becoming champions. Most neutrals felt a little cheated that the title was won while their players were having a day off.‌

We expected and hoped for some final-day drama but Manchester City lost to Bournemouth during the week and the champagne was scarcely chilled before it had to be popped. After all that toil, there will be no chance to celebrate after a game at the Emirates this season.

‌I suspect the fans don't care a jot. The celebrations will last long into what could be a long, hot north London summer, especially if they triumph in the Champions League final. There are a multitude of reasons why Arsenal triumphed, top among them is that they are simply the best team, or more accurately, they have the best squad.

For everyone who cares for the club, that delayed gratification of 22 years just made the gift all that sweeter, no matter where you celebrated it. As one Arsenal fan said to me, the only thing that could have made the final day even better, would have been watching Spurs get relegated.

‌So, what next? Will it be the start of an all-conquering Arsenal dynasty over the next few years. With City, Manchester United and Liverpool each in transition, there is a chance, maybe the best chance for a generation at least.

If they were to retain their title next season, I would argue it would be even more significant than this one – after all, the league is looking for a new Pep and his apprentice Mikel Arteta could be the one.

The rest of my column has a new home – on the BBC Sport website.

‌Click through as I decide who is the manager of the season, whether we should ditch in-game guards of honour and the club getting the award nobody wants

Opta have conjured up their Premier League team of the season based on data collected throughout the 2025-26 campaign.

Four Arsenal players have been selected in the XI following their title-winning endeavours, as Mikel Arteta's side lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time in 22 years.

David Raya (goalkeeper): Raya ended the season with four clean sheets in Arsenal's last five matches, including a season-defining save against West Ham, as the Gunners closed in on their first title since 2004.

Overall, Raya amassed 19 clean sheets in the Premier League this season - four more than any other goalkeeper. It is the joint most by an Arsenal goalkeeper in a single season, with David Seaman keeping 19 clean sheets in both 1993-94 and 1998-99.

Raya also joined a select group of Spanish goalkeepers with a Premier League winners' medal - only David de Gea in 2012-13 with Manchester United and Adrian in 2019-20 with Liverpool had picked one up previously.

Gabriel (defender): One of the odder statistics of 2025-26 is that central defender Gabriel Magalhaes ended the season with more Premier League goals and assists combined than the likes of Jorgen Strand Larsen (5) and Bernardo Silva (6), and as many as Bournemouth striker Evanilson (7).

Of his seven goal involvements (3 goals, 4 assists), six unsurprisingly came via set-pieces. The Brazilian caused chaos in opposition boxes, helping the Gunners to score a record 19 corner goals this season.

It is, of course, at the other end where Gabriel really stands out though. He ended the season with 17 clean sheets - more than any other defender - despite being absent from eight starting XIs in 2025-26.

Arsenal conceded just 20 goals in 2,751 minutes with him on the pitch, an average of one every 138 minutes. This is the best record by an Arsenal defender who has played more than 2,000 minutes since 2003-04, when Sol Campbell went 140 minutes between goals going in with him on the pitch.

William Saliba (defender): Alongside Gabriel, who else but Saliba? The pair are forging a legendary Premier League central defensive partnership, losing just 15 of the 117 games they have played together for Arsenal.

On average, since 2022-23, the Gunners have conceded a goal every 44 minutes more frequently when they haven't been playing together.

Only Gabriel kept more clean sheets (17) than Saliba (15) during the 2025-26 Premier League season, with Arsenal conceding a goal every 131 minutes with Saliba on the pitch. The second-best of any defender this season behind... well, you guessed it, Gabriel.

On the ball, Saliba was accomplished. He completed 92.9% of his passes, the third-best of any player to attempt 2,000 or more. He completed 67 passes per 90 minutes and, on record since 2003-04, the only Arsenal defender with more in a season is Saliba in 2023-24 (69) and 2024-25 (71).

Declan Rice (midfielder): It was another impressive season from the Arsenal midfielder, whose consistency has seen him play at least 30 Premier League matches in each of the past eight seasons. This season, he played 36 times for the Premier League champions.

Arsenal are the set-piece kings of the Premier League, and Rice's deliveries are a huge part of that. He posted the highest expected assists from set-play total (3.3), with only Bruno Fernandes and Pedro Porro playing more passes into the penalty area.

This season also saw Rice record personal bests for chances created (63), set-play chances created (27) and big chances created (17).

His ball-carrying abilities also saw him lead the way for ball-carry distance (7,460m) and carry progress up the pitch (3,660m) among central midfielders, while he was the only central midfielder to carry the ball more than 100 times into the opposition half.

Read the rest of Opta's picks here - and cross-reference it with Troy Deeney's team of the season here

On BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, ex-Premier League midfielder Andros Townsend believes the Gunners will find it hard to replicate their title-winning season due to the competitive nature of the Premier League.

"The last two times Liverpool have won the title the next season they have not been able to replicate it. They have had relatively poor seasons," said Townsend.

When considering a side who have ended a 22-year wait for the title, Townsend simply said: "When you get over the line, that huge relief. Do you go into the summer with the same sort of aggression and mentality?"

The Observer's football correspondent Rory Smith said Arsenal "are as well set as anybody" to defend their title.

Smith said: "It's really fascinating that they have been able to position themselves as London's club internationally, which is an amazing thing to be able to trade on.

"They are as well set as anybody could be for the next three to five years to be the team that you have to beat to win the title."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

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Arsenal defender William Saliba says the Gunners have to "give everything" in their quest for Champions League glory.

Mikel Arteta's side have won their first Premier League title in 22 years but could make the season even better if they conquer Europe.

Asked what it would mean to be the first Arsenal team to lift the Champions League, Saliba said: "It would mean a lot. Now we have started with the Premier League, it is my first one, so I am happy. But I am not full. I want more. And there is a big chance next week in the Champions League, so we have to give everything."

The north London side have appeared in the Champions League final once before, losing to Barcelona 20 years ago.

Saliba and the Arsenal defence will be up against a Paris St-Germain forward line that has scored 44 goals in the Champions League this season, the second-most by any side in one campaign in the competition.

"They have a great attack," said Saliba. "I know them because I play with them for the national team and we played against them last season.

"We know if we want to win against them we have to be at our best next Saturday because they are so, so good."

He added that he relishes going up against that sort of attack: "Of course. We have the best defence this season. And when you are the best, you want to play the best so we are so happy to have attackers like this to play against us next Saturday and I hope we will win that battle."

Saliba said it is "normal" that PSG are the favourites "because they won the Champions League last season, and now they are in the final again.

He added: "We have to fight and if we want to change that. We need to win.

"They were scary last year, and they're still scary this year. So, nothing has changed. We know that if we want to beat them, we have to be 100%."

Image source, Getty Images

Now the curtain has come down on the 2025-26 Premier League campaign, here is my end-of-season review - with a look back to what I predicted in August.

Prediction: 2nd

Arsenal were deserved winners of their first title since 2003-04.

This season was the acid test for manager Mikel Arteta and his players. No more second places. No more nearly men. It had to be this season.

Forget the quibbles about not being pleasing on the eye or too many set-pieces. The best team always win the Premier League and Arteta finally found the winning formula, with the Champions League final against Paris St-Germain to come on Saturday.

Arsenal's title was built on solid defensive foundations, with goalkeeper David Raya outstanding behind Gabriel and William Saliba in central defence. Declan Rice was my player of the year.

Now one title has been won, Arsenal have the foundations for years to come.

What I said in August: "This is a team with enough to mount a meaningful title pursuit and challenge for the biggest prizes."

Check out the rest of my review here

Julian Alvarez wants to leave Atletico Madrid with Arsenal set to make an aggressive move for the 26-year-old Argentina forward. (Teamtalk), external

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Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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Mikel Arteta has already said he wants "to have the parade with two big trophies" as he sets out to win the Champions League for the first time in Arsenal's history.

Arsenal backed Arteta with about £250m of spending last summer as they looked to increase the quality and depth of their squad, and they brought in players like Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi, who were categorised as 'win now' signings.

Arteta wants to build a legacy of sustained success at Emirates Stadium and once the Champions League final is over, focus will move to tying him down to a new contract.

Initial talks have been had and will increase in pace as all parties work to have the new contract sorted before next season.

The Gunners are going to invest again in the transfer market this summer with co-chair Josh Kroenke already saying that Arteta is going to backed.

"If anyone deserves this, it's this group." Kroenke said to Sky Sports after the Arsenal trophy lift.

"[We are invested] emotionally, financially, everything. This club means the world to us.

"I think it took some people a few years to realise what that really meant but we have great people, players and coaches. We just have to continue providing the resources to do magical things like they did this season.

Arsenal's football leadership, with Kroenke, CEO Richard Garlick, director of football operations James King and sporting director Andrea Berta alongside Arteta, are looking to recruit a midfielder, left-winger and striker. However, some money will have to be recouped too after last year's big spending.

And with success secured, his level of influence and the transformation complete, now could be the time for Arteta to develop Arsenal into serial winners.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney, speaking about what kind of champions Arsenal are on Match of the Day: "Champions are champions. I have actually really liked how they've played this season. Everyone now wants to play like how Pep Guardiola's teams play but Mikel Arteta has tried that for the last three years and he hasn't won the league.

"He's changed the recruitment. They've gone more to a bigger, more physical team, and they don't concede goals. They're solid, they have players scoring goals from all over the pitch, and they fully deserve to win the Premier League."

Speaking about the statistics above,Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer added:

"Those numbers are staggering. When you look at the job that Mikel has done, he mentions the noise and doubting himself, I think he deserves great credit for sticking with it.

"We've spoken about how recruitment hasn't worked for other teams but their recruitment for how they've wanted to play this season has been absolutely spot on. Every decision they made in bringing players in last summer - all of these players have played and it's worked for them.

"The stress and the pressure that they've been under all season and the noise, to get over that and come back from the defeat at Manchester City is amazing. After that defeat which way do they go? They rolled their sleeves up and did something special. They've been the best team and I think they deserve huge credit."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts and feelings as Arsenal finally got their hands on the Premier league trophy following their final day win over Crystal Palace.

Here are some of your comments:

KBK: I watched the final game and trophy presentation with a flock of international Gooners in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The perfect end to a two month trip (Malaysia-Nepal-Vietnam) after finish working here. Flying home to England Tuesday. Parade Sunday! I celebrated with my flag in front of Everest, Nepal.

Lou: Just love Arsenal and Arteta and this team have made it the best version of the best club. So happy. Congratulations.

Colin: I saw my first title winning game in 1953 beating, I think, Burnley with Jimmy Logie scoring a clever goal. At 83-years-old I am overwhelmed with pride that the Gunners, yet again, have won the league. My congratulations to the players and especially Mikel for the effort he has made. Long may you continue. Thank you.

Charles: Before today, it felt surreal. Now I believe it, after watching them lift the trophy. Truly amazing scenes! Let's hope this is the start of a dynasty!

Andrew: I'm 80 now - been an Arsenal lad for over 70 years. Never been so happy.

Vince: It's 2:22am in my part of the world - Hong Kong -and it's been a full, tiring day with the family. But this was 22-years in the making and there's no question of missing this celebration! Arsenal Forever!

Shelby: Absolutely over the moon. All the years of people giving us grief over not doing so well and now we win the league by seven. C'mon Arsenal.

Scott: Arsene Wenger dreamt it and Mikel Arteta has delivered it. Thank you for making millions of Gooners around the world believe again. You have united our club and brought the love back. We can now stand proud - Champions of England. Now let's bring the bring the European trophy home.

Carol: A phenomenal season, both at home and abroad - well done Arsenal. You deserve your success in the Premier League. Good luck for the Champions League Final... You can do it!

Geoff: So happy for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal! They thoroughly deserved to be Champions! Wishing them all the best for next Saturday!

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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A big reason why this Premier League league win is such an important psychological moment for Mikel Areteta and Arsenal, is that the Arsenal manager was able to overcome long-time friend and mentor Pep Guardiola.

The Manchester City boss, leaving after 10 seasons in charge, has been the reason for so much of Arsenal's recent disappointment. With Arteta now getting the best of his former colleague, the time for sustained success could be now for Arsenal.

Last season's title rivals Liverpool finished 25 points behind the Gunners and there is a debate about whether current manager Arne Slot is the right man to get them back into title contention.

Manchester United, although rejuvenated by Michael Carrick, are not back as regular challengers just yet and Chelsea have had a disappointing season and finished in mid-table.

Arteta has already shifted the messaging to his players about how their mentality will change now that they are league winners as he urges them to add more silverware to their collection.

"I said to the boys that this shirt now represents something else." Arteta said in his post-match press conference.

"We are the champions, and that brings a lot of confidence and a different kind of presence and energy to it.

"But as well, another kind of responsibility and my job now and [that of] everybody at the club is going to be lift those standards now and achieve much more, because I think we are capable of doing it."

Read more about what could be next for Arsenal here

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Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from all 10 fixtures on the final day of the Premier League season.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Tottenham 1-0 Everton

• West Ham United 3-0 Leeds United

• Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal

• Brighton 0-3 Manchester United

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, speaking to Sky Sports: "That was beautiful. Look at the joy of all of the people, the have been waiting for this for so long. We have had difficult moments along the way but it is all worth it when you see that kind of reaction.

"Now it is time to enjoy and take the manager hat off.

"I think we showed an incredible connection commitment and courage. Everything around us has fuelled our desire to do it.

"We have an incredible ownership. Through the tough times is when you really see people. They have incredible values and know the sport better than any of us. They have committed to the project that we have delivered. They have been instrumental.

"There were doubts. It was understanding that I was able to take them this far [to second place] but maybe someone else has to come and do the final job. But thank god we have done it! I feel a lot of joy and a little bit of belief.

"Yes, [I doubted myself]. It is part of the job. There are many things that are out of my control and that is why you need the best people around you."

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, speaking to Sky Sports: "Incredible. Just saying and feeling that we're champions, it's all we've wanted. It's nice! It's been a dream. It's everything I expected and more.

"[After Manchester City defeat] I believed because there was still five games to go. We started to be a bit more free in our game and play a bit better. It was a strong message and it has paid off."

Did you know?

• Arsenal's Martin Zubimendi became just the second player to win the title and play every game in his first season in the Premier League (excluding 1992-93) after Jens Lehmann in 2003-04.

• Arsenal scored 19 goals from corners in the Premier League this season, the most of any side in a single campaign in the competition's history.

A moment Arsenal supporters have waited 22 years for... your 2025-26 Premier League champions!

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

This match against Crystal Palace was always going to be a celebration for Arsenal after ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.

And with that piece of silverware secured, Mikel Arteta heavily rotated his side, with his main focus on the Champions League final against Paris-St Germain in a week's time.

Supporters had queued outside of the stadium more than three hours before kick-off to see their heroes get off the team bus and chant about being "champions of England".

Arsenal, although at times functional this season, have made the big step to become winners and, after three second-place finishes, they have a huge opportunity to start a period of dominance in the league.

And, for their consistency, the Gunners deservedly finish seven points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who lost at home to Europa League winners Aston Villa in Pep Guardiola's final match in charge.

Mikel Arteta said before the game that his team now have to "wear the shirt in a different way" after becoming champions and the manager, who always has such high standards, will hope this win will be the start of a more sustained period of success.