UMVA has learned that Premier League legend Alan Shearer has heaped praise on Arsenal's title-winning season, naming David Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Declan Rice as the team's 'key men' and 'outstanding' performers.
Shearer's glowing endorsement comes after Arsenal finally secured the prestigious trophy after three successive runners-up finishes, with Mikel Arteta's side prevailing with a game to spare as Bournemouth held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw.
The Arsenal players and staff gathered at the club's training ground to watch City's slip-up and take in the moment of history together, six years on from the team's FA Cup win – Arteta's only other piece of major silverware since taking charge.
Shearer, the Premier League's all-time top goalscorer, believes that Raya, Gabriel, and Rice have been the standout players for Arsenal throughout the campaign, delivering performance after performance when it mattered most.
"They've been the best team, they've been the most consistent team, they've found a way to win games when they weren't playing that well which you have to do being the champions," Shearer said.
Shearer also praised the team's goalkeeper, David Raya, as his favourite to win this year's PFA Player of the Year award, saying "I would actually have those three in one, two and three… David Raya is the player of the season for me."
The Arsenal players and staff celebrated long into the night at the club's training ground, with jubilant scenes also erupting as fans flocked to the Emirates to soak up the club's first title victory in 22 years.
With hopes of a historic double within Arsenal's grasp, Shearer took the opportunity to applaud the side's efforts across what has been a 'long, hard and stressful road'.
Shearer added that the team's players and staff will be "absolutely on the way to getting s*faced and so they should because all of the stress has just been released from them."
As the celebrations continue, Arteta and his troops will look to focus their attentions on what promises to be an intriguing Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
