Arteta's unconventional verdict on Arsenal's season after Spurs' triumph

Mikel Arteta has congratulated Tottenham Hotspur on winning the Europa League but insists that silverware should not be the only measure of a successful season, as Arsenal prepare to end their Premier League campaign at relegated Southampton.

Arsenal are set to finish second behind champions Liverpool, having fallen short in both the title race and the Champions League, where they were eliminated in the semi-finals by Paris Saint-Germain.

Spurs, meanwhile, have endured a poor domestic season and currently sit 17th, yet salvaged their campaign with European glory on Wednesday night.

“They are [Europa League] champions and when you get to that, you have to do a lot of things right,” Arteta said. “They’ve gone through a season with a lot of obstacles and difficulties and they have, at the end… a beautiful moment.”

However, the Arsenal boss refused to draw direct comparisons between the two sides and argued that a season’s value cannot be determined by a trophy alone.

“If I have to analyse ourselves, then we have failed the last 20 years in the Premier League and failed in all our history in the Champions League,” he said. “Who are we then? Where is our brand, our club, our values, our way of playing? Where are the moments we lived with our people?”

Despite little riding on the final day — only an eight-goal swing could see Manchester City leapfrog Arsenal into second — Arteta is determined for his side to end the season on a positive note.

“We want to have as many points as possible,” he said. “We still want to achieve the best defensive record, the Golden Glove is still to play for and we want to finish on a high with a good test.”

Arsenal have conceded just 33 goals this season, seven fewer than Liverpool and goalkeeper David Raya remains in contention for the Golden Glove.

Once Sunday’s game is out of the way, Arteta plans to step back and reflect before planning for next season. “You need to reset. Rest a little bit, be aligned with what you want to do and then feel that excitement in your tummy to come back on day one, fully motivated,” he said.

Arsenal will hope to round off their campaign with a win and build momentum heading into 2025-26.

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