The dust is starting to settle on what has been a memorable season for Arsenal, who finally ended their English Premier League title drought to the delight of many supporters.
Although they experienced a bitter-sweet moment of then going on to lose the UEFA Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain following a brutal 4-3 penalty shootout loss, a defeat Mikel Arteta described in one word as “pain” being endured, there is optimism for brighter days ahead.
The Gunners climbed almost to the very peak of European football, only to falter just before the summit. And it is kind of hard to take.
Yet, if there is a defining feature of Arteta’s managerial tenure, it is a stubborn willingness to absorb pain, dissect it, pull his squad closer together, and weaponize that hurt as fuel.
Here are five reasons compiled by Striver.Football on why this heartbreaking night in Budapest proves Arsenal are built to dominate Europe for years to come.
5. Arsenal's Relentless European Progression
Football is defined by incremental steps, and Arsenal’s upward curve over the last three seasons is nothing short of exemplary.
In the 2023-24 season, the Gunners returned to the Champions League and reached the Quarter-finals, where they agonisingly lost to Bayern Munich.
Then in the 2024-25 season, they pushed further to the Semi-finals, losing to PSG 4-1 on aggregate. They nearly did it against the same opposition a year later, but fell a little short again.
That progression makes it clear that it will only be a matter of time before the Gunners finally break their Champions League winning duck.
As Arteta said after the match: “The same progression we had in the last few years, we have to do it over again... We had an incredible competition—we haven’t lost a single match [in normal time]—but the reality is when something had to go our way... those margins didn’t go for us.”
You cannot deny that progression has been made.
4. A Defence Capable of Winning the Biggest Trophies
On their run to yet another final, PSG found the back of the net as will. They blasted six past Bayern Munich, four past Liverpool, and eight past Chelsea. Against Arsenal, they were only able to produce four shots.
The Parisians never even managed to produce a single shot on target up until Ousmane Dembele’s penalty to equalise Kai Havertz’s early opener after a rash decision from a third-choice right-back against the world’s most in-form winger in the box.
Otherwise, they struggled to create chances against Arsenal, marshalled by the heroic Gabriel.
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3. Sustainable Success Under the Kroenke Era
Most clubs have been artificially inflated over the last 20 years, getting elevated to another level in the process.
While state-backed nations like PSG and Manchester City, who are at risk of being heavily sanctioned over 115 financial breach charges, have been accused of buying their way to success under questionable circumstances.
Arsenal are chasing the biggest trophies by adopting a self-sustaining philosophy under the Kroenke family. To conquer a very intense Premier League, get to the UCL final whilst completing a 63-game campaign shows their cultural foundation is built to last.
2. The Desire to Tame the Ghosts From the Past
For decades, Arsenal carried the heavy luggage of a blemished European history: the 1980 Valencia shootout loss, the 2000 Galatasaray shootout heartbreak, the 2006 final defeat to Barcelona in Paris, and the humiliation in Baku to an Eden Hazard-inspired Chelsea side.
In Budapest, the duck was still not broken. Arsenal lost both coin tosses, played without three designated penalty-takers who lacked the fitness for 120 minutes and had to witness Gabriel and Eberechi Eze suffer the agonising psychological torture missing their respective enemies.
However, they should be proud they managed to go toe-to-toe with the reigning champions. They now know they unequivocally belong on this stage. They have, as Arteta repeated, “earned it.”
1. Heartbreak Often Creates Champions
Defeats in finals leave scars, but they also forge champions. The Gunners missed out on the English Premier League title by finishing second three times in a row before they finally finished first.
Similarly, the European agony will serve as the ultimate motivator. The image of the squad waiting on the pitch, watching PSG lift the trophy they so desperately crave, will be burned into their minds.
After the game, Declan Rice remained upbeat: “Without them [Gabriel and Eze], we wouldn’t have won the Premier League, that’s for sure... It’s football, it’s cruel. But we take the positives and we keep going.”
Will Arsenal Dominate in 2027?
The squad returned to London to a fantastic reception in Islington as over 1.5 million players turned up for the parade.
Gabriel, whose shirt sales have soared up nearly 350 per cent according to The Athletic since his miss, was serenaded by the fans, as did his fellow teammates. His heroic season was unblemished by a single wayward penalty.
The defeat will certainly leave a scar on Arsenal’s hearts. This one will take time to heal. But under Arteta, Arsenal will dust themselves down, harness the fire in their bellies, and go hunting for another shot at football history.
