Mikel Arteta set for Arsenal first after Premier League title triumph as trophy lift awaits

Sport | Football Mikel Arteta set for Arsenal first after Premier League title triumph as trophy lift awaitsGunners boss deserves to bask in glory of his achievements against Crystal Palace before focus quickly switches to Champions League final Matt Verri1 minute ago COMMENTSYour matchday briefing on Arsenal, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice. For one day and one day only, Mikel Arteta might be able to relax on the edge of Arsenal's technical area. That may be wishful thinking for a man who has been a picture of intensity ever since he took charge of the club at the end of 2019. However, this is different. For the first time Arteta can survey the scene from the summit, knowing there is no further to climb. Even he might allow himself to enjoy the view. Arteta and his players are now Premier League champions. Manchester City's draw with Bournemouth confirmed that on Tuesday night and the celebrations extended well into the following day. The Spaniard is normally guarded, viewing any slip of information as a potential advantage for the opposition. On Thursday, though, as he addressed the media, that stance softened. There was a noticeable shift from Arteta when he reflected on that night, and the journey he has been on, for the first time. There was the admission that he was too nervous to watch City's match with his players and staff at the training ground, telling Martin Odegaard he had to leave 20 minutes before kick-off. Celebrations: Arsenal wrapped up the Premier League title with a game to spareGettyThat he then spent the duration of the match shuffling around his garden, building a fire and cooking on the barbecue as he waited for news from inside his house. Arteta was emotional when talking through the moment his son came rushing out to tell him Arsenal were champions, as he was when asked about the role his wife has played behind the scenes. "She is the person and the reason why I have kept my composure, my self-confidence, my energy at the level that was required to do what we've done for the last six-and-a-half years," he said. Read MoreCrystal Palace vs Arsenal: Prediction, kick-off time, team news, h2h Slot makes set-piece claim after Arsenal win Premier League title Hull vs Middlesbrough: Prediction, kick-off time, team news, TV, odds SponsoredMake 2026 the year of working smarter "She needs to understand that without her, none of that would have happened." Arteta's vulnerable side also came out when he admitted he has had periods when he doubted whether he was good enough to lead Arsenal back to winning major silverware. He has now done that. There is the chance to double up, too, when Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. By Monday, the full focus will be on that Budapest showdown and the chance for Arsenal to claim a trophy they have never previously got their hands on. First, Arteta and his players can enjoy a 90-minute victory lap against Crystal Palace. Both sides have nothing to play for on the final day and the priority is the European finals they still have to come. So much so that Palace asked the Premier League for this match to be moved to Saturday to give them an extra day to prepare for their Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig on Wednesday. That request was rejected. For Arteta, he deserves to break from the norm and allow his mind to wander. To take in the party coming from the away end in the baking sunshine and then to lift the Premier League trophy. To also reflect on how far Arsenal have come. It was at Selhurst Park in 2022 when the Gunners were beaten 3-0, the first of three consecutive defeats as their top-four hopes took a major hit. That team was unable to deliver under pressure - this group of players very much have. "On Sunday, we'll have a little window there again to celebrate, to lift the trophy in a manner that it deserves, to connect with the people who are constantly around us," Arteta said. "But then we have six days that we need to write a new history in this football club." History still to make, but history already made. Arteta has earned an afternoon of taking that in. MORE ABOUT Premier League titleCrystal PalaceMikel Arteta Have your say... 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