Arteta 'fully convinced' Arsenal can win Champions League final against PSG in Budapest

Mikel Arteta has declared himself “fully convinced” Arsenal will win their first Champions League title when they face holders PSG in Budapest on Saturday evening, with the Gunners riding a wave of momentum after ending a 22-year Premier League drought.

Speaking at the League Managers Association’s annual awards dinner in central London on Tuesday, Arteta made clear that underdog status holds no weight in the Arsenal dressing room. “We have an amazing opportunity to write new history in our football club, and we are convinced that we’re going to do it,” he said. “We will fly to Budapest on Thursday fully convinced that in a few days’ time we can be champions of Europe.”

The 43-year-old added that the energy inside the club since clinching the Premier League title has only strengthened his belief. “You could sense the energy, you can sense the positivity and the confidence on the players and everybody around the club,” he said.

Arteta collected the Premier League Manager of the Year award at the same event, recognition for a transformation at Arsenal that has taken them from perennial near-misses to English champions for the first time since 2004. Accepting the honour, he reflected on the years of falling short before finally delivering the title. “It’s been a fascinating journey for a few years. We’ve been knocking on the door, we’ve been trying, we fell short a few times, and to actually win it made it so special.”

He used the occasion to thank Arsenal’s hierarchy for backing him when he arrived as a managerial novice in 2019, and singled out Everton manager David Moyes for helping him break into English football. His most pointed praise, however, was directed at his coaching staff, whom he described as “instrumental” to everything the club has achieved.

“You can’t do anything without the best people in the world around you, and I’m so privileged that I’ve got it in every department, but especially the people that work with me every single day,” Arteta said. “I know the level of demands that I put on them. But I cannot be more grateful to them, to their families, that they stick with them through a lot of days of work.”

Arsenal enter the final as outsiders according to bookmakers, with PSG arriving as defending champions. Arteta’s public confidence, however, suggests a squad that believes the timing — and the momentum — is firmly on their side.