The Premier League title race was a closely fought battle, as Arsenal took Manchester City to the final day, but ultimately fell just short.
Mikel Arteta’s side entered the final day with an outside chance of Premier League glory for the first time in over 20 years, but despite beating Everton, Man City eased past West Ham with ease to secure their fourth title in a row.
It was a positive atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal made it 16 wins from 18 in the Premier League, but the players looked downbeat as their efforts were not rewarded with silverware.
It was a bittersweet day for Arteta and his players as they again came so close, but could not topple Pep Guardiola’s side, and the Arsenal manager has now revealed what he texted his former mentor after the results were confirmed.
Mikel Arteta congratulated Pep Guardiola after Premier League final day
Speaking in an interview with CNN, Arteta revealed that he texted his congratulations to Guardiola after the title race had ended, despite the heartbreak of missing out on the trophy.
“I congratulated him, all the staff. At the end they deserved it. They were the winners. We keep chasing it and trying to be better than them,” he stated.
“One is the professional relationship and that competition and then there’s obviously all the personal feelings that I have towards him and all the staff. I spent four beautiful years over there [in Manchester], and that’s never going to change.”
Arteta remained calm in the face of Arsenal heartbreak
Arteta did well to keep his composure on the final day, given the reactions of his players at the full-time whistle against Everton.
Arsenal pushed until the end, with Kai Havertz scoring a late winner to give his side all three points in the race, but whilst the overwhelming feeling amongst the fans was that of pride, the squad and Arteta were clearly hurt that their efforts could not get them over the line.
“Now [it’s time to] recharge, try to be stronger, seeing where the margins are and go again next season,” he added.
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Arteta is confident that his side will challenge Guardiola again, and having spent a few years at Man City as his assistant, the Spaniard’s congratulatory messages to his former colleagues shows his exemplary professionalism even in difficult moments.