What Mikel Arteta told Arsenal players at private Premier League title party

Mikel Arteta’s victory speech at Arsenal’s title party (Picture: X)

Mikel Arteta was a rousing presence at Arsenal ’s late night Premier League title party and addressed his players as ‘champions of England’.

The man who masterminded the north London club’s first title triumph in 22 years appeared to be conspicuous by his absence while his squad and backroom staff gathered at the Sobha Realty training ground to watch Tuesday’s game between Bournemouth and Manchester City .

A 1-1 draw confirmed Arsenal as champions with a game to spare and sparked scenes of delirium as players and fans partied long into the night.

Arteta reportedly opted to watch City’s demise from the comfort of his own home with his family, but was very much present at Tape nightclub in Soho as the celebrations continued into the early hours.

Even Arsenal’s two 16-year-old prodigies, Marli Salmon and Max Dowman , in the midst of their GCSE exams, were along for the ride as the Arsenal manager took to the microphone and delivered a typically passionate speech.

Attention now will swiftly turn to the final game of the domestic season against Crystal Palace on Sunday where for Eagles talisman Eberechi Eze will, along with his teammates, receive a guard of honour.

Arteta is, however, likely to heavily rotate his team with next Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on the horizon.

Mikel Arteta with the Arsenal players at the club after the Premier League title was confirmed. ✅ 🏆 With an appearance from 16yo Max Dowman and Marli Salmon. 😅 pic.twitter.com/aU7E2jIBko — DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) May 21, 2026

Should Arteta and his team secure what would be an historic and unprecedented club double he should be honoured with a statue outside Emirates Stadium, according to club legend David Seaman.

Arsenal have secured the league and FA Cup double three times previously, while Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ took the title without losing a game. They are yet to win Europe’s biggest prize.

Wenger is one of six men connected to the club to be immortalised with a bronze statue outside the ground. Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Tony Adams, former manager Herbert Chapman, and the club’s president Ken Friar, are the others.

Mikel Arteta joined his Arsenal players at their title-winning bash (Picture: Instagram)

Eyooo Kroenke left the lads with the credit card pic.twitter.com/eF5N6lFohj — ATLsoso™️ (@ATLsoso1) May 20, 2026

And when asked if Arteta could become the seventh if Arsenal see off PSG, Seaman, who won nine major trophies across a 13-year career for the Gunners, said: ‘If that does happen, it is going to be the best season in the club’s history, so why not?

‘I just feel this team can get better and better. The club has never won the Champions League before and that would be one hell of a double. It is a big ‘if’, but it would be epic.

‘The players who already have statues have won a lot of trophies and so did Arsene. And I want Mikel to win so much more. He thoroughly deserves it because of the way he took this club by the horns and led it in a new direction.’

Arsenal, runners-up in the league for the previous three seasons, had faced accusations of ‘bottling’ their trophy bid after they surrendered their place at the top of the table in the wake of a 2-1 defeat at City on April 19.

It’s not quite the Premier League trophy just yet (Picture: Getty Images)

But while City subsequently drew at Everton, and then at Bournemouth, Arsenal bounced back from their loss at the Etihad by winning their next four without conceding.

Arteta, who joined Arsenal as manager in December 2019 with the club in disarray, installed a blacked-out Premier League trophy at the club’s London Colney training base which would light up only when the Gunners were crowned champions.

‘Light that up,’ Saka said in footage posted by team-mate Timber to Instagram on Tuesday night.