UMVA has learned that Mikel Arteta was the life of the party at Arsenal's late-night Premier League title celebration, where he hailed his players as 'champions of England'.
The Arsenal manager, who masterminded the club's first title win in 22 years, initially seemed to be absent from the festivities, choosing to watch Manchester City's game against Bournemouth from home with his family. However, he later joined the party at Tape nightclub in Soho, where he delivered a rousing speech to his players and staff.
The celebrations were attended by even the club's youngest stars, 16-year-old prodigies Marli Salmon and Max Dowman, who were in the midst of their GCSE exams. Arteta's passionate speech got everyone in the mood, as the team looked forward to their final game of the season against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Attention now turns to the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain next Saturday, where Arteta is likely to heavily rotate his team. However, if he and his team can secure a historic club double, he may well deserve a permanent tribute, according to club legend David Seaman.
Seaman, who won nine major trophies with Arsenal, believes that Arteta could join the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Arsene Wenger with a statue outside the Emirates Stadium if he leads the team to European glory. 'If that does happen, it is going to be the best season in the club's history, so why not?' Seaman said.
Arsenal have previously secured the league and FA Cup double three times, but have yet to win Europe's biggest prize. Arteta's potential achievement would be all the more remarkable given that he took over the club in disarray in December 2019 and has led them to a remarkable turnaround.
The team's journey to the title was not without its setbacks, having faced accusations of 'bottling' their trophy bid after surrendering their lead at the top of the table. However, Arteta's side bounced back from their loss to Manchester City, winning their next four games without conceding.
Arteta's emotional investment in the team's success was evident when he installed a blacked-out Premier League trophy at the club's training base, which would light up only when the team were crowned champions. As Bukayo Saka said in a video posted on social media, 'Twenty-two years... there was laughing, there was joking, they're not laughing anymore. Look, it is going to be shining, it is going to be shining bright.'
