This was the kind of end‑of‑season match where there was almost as much interest in what was happening in the stands as on the pitch. Banned from the touchline after picking up a suspension against Newcastle last week, Mikel Arteta was seen deep in conversation with the Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke throughout as Kieran Tierney signed off with a goal before he returns to Celtic and Martin Ødegaard broke Southampton’s hearts with a late winner.
After a campaign in which no Arsenal player managed to score 10 league goals or more for the first time since 1924, summer recruitment plans were surely the main topic of discussion. Arteta’s selection of the ineffective Raheem Sterling for only the sixth time in a Premier League game since he joined on loan from Chelsea was perhaps another reminder of the Arsenal manager’s request for more firepower. If they need any inspiration to take the final step after being confirmed as runners-up for a third successive year, the success of Renée Slegers’ women’s team in becoming European champions against all the odds on Saturday night should provide it.
