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

Mikel Arteta has declared himself “fully convinced” Arsenal will beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on Saturday and make history as European champions for the first time.

The Gunners arrive in Hungary riding the wave of their first Premier League title since 2004, and despite being considered outsiders by bookmakers against the holders, Arteta says the mood inside the club is one of unshakeable belief.

“You could sense the energy, you can sense the positivity and the confidence on the players and everybody around the club,” the Arsenal manager said. “We have an amazing opportunity to write new history in our football club, and we are convinced that we’re going to do it. We will fly to Budapest on Thursday fully convinced that in a few days’ time we can be champions of Europe.”

Arteta was speaking at the League Managers Association’s annual awards dinner in central London on Tuesday, having taken an evening away from final preparations to collect the Premier League manager of the year award — recognition for transforming Arsenal from perennial nearly-men into English champions.

“It’s been a fascinating journey for a few years,” he said upon receiving the honour. “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. You’ve seen the reaction from all the Arsenal supporters around the world and what it meant to all of us, so I’m extremely proud.”

The 44-year-old used the occasion to thank those who have shaped his managerial career, including Arsenal’s hierarchy for handing him his first top-level job in 2019 and Everton manager David Moyes for first bringing him into English football as a coach.

Arteta reserved particular praise for his backroom staff, posing for a photograph with them and the trophy before returning home to continue his analysis of PSG.

“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,” he said. “I know the level of demands that I put on them every single day. But I cannot be more grateful to them, to their families, that they stick with them through a lot of days of work. To deliver that joy and that moment to all of them, it’s a really happy moment.”