EPL: Guardiola leaves as Arteta wins title with Arsenal after 22 years

Arsenal are Premier League champions.

These are words that football fans around the world haven’t heard in 22 years.

In fact, the last time the Gunners sat at the summit of English football, social media was not a thing.

Arsene Wenger was the last manager to win it, going unbeaten with the Invincibles.

After him, Unai Emery toiled for a year and a few months before he was sacked.

But they have done it. Mikel Arteta has led the North London club to the pinnacle again.

“It’s incredible. It’s been a long time coming,” JJ Omojuwa, a Nigerian author and publisher, tells DAILY POST.

“I am shocked that some people are acting surprised about the reactions of the Arsenal fans.

“What were they expecting after all the years of trolling them? It took so long for several reasons.

“Arsenal had years of austerity that were necessitated by the construction of the Emirates Stadium.

“The period also intersected with Roman Abramovich changing the landscape of the transfer market. Arsenal simply could not compete.

“Arsene Wenger had to be pragmatic and even when he got close a number of times, the combination of ill-luck and a lack of depth saw the team falling short.”

Arsenal were confirmed champions on Tuesday night following Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.

It was the second time within two weeks that City slipped, after they played out a 3-3 draw at Everton.

“It’s a tough Premier League season,” Omojuwa said.

“Even the teams that went down had some big results against the big teams.

“This is one of the most competitive seasons ever and Man City aren’t the orchestra they once were.

“You can’t say it’s due to Pep leaving because he wasn’t leaving last season and they finished a distant third.

“They simply didn’t have enough to get past Everton and Bournemouth, two games they deserved to lose.

“I also think that they invested a lot of emotion in the victory over Arsenal and simply didn’t have enough left in their tank for the last hurdles,” he added.

With Guardiola bidding his farewell his weekend, it does feel as if it’s all set up for Arteta to dominate in the coming years.

Arteta is the only manager to finish above Guardiola twice, having lost out in two title races to his mentor.

“Guardiola leaving or not, he’s got the foundations to build a dynasty,” Omojuwa said.

“They have gone past that mental part of the first one. They now need renewed motivations for dominance.

“Arsenal must retain the core despite expected pressure from the likes of Real Madrid and must strengthen well. The dynasty is the next call,” he said.

Click here to read article