Bayer Leverkusen seemed to subtly taunt Arsenal shortly after the latter missed their chance at the Premier League crown.
The victory of Manchester City with a score of 3-1 against West Ham marked an extraordinary fourth consecutive title for Pep Guardiola’s squad, making Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Everton inconsequential.
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In contrast, Bayer Leverkusen celebrated their inaugural Bundesliga championship this month, capping off a remarkable season that included an unbeaten streak and dethroning Bayern Munich.
The acquisition of ex-Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka during the summer emerged as a pivotal move by Leverkusen’s manager Xabi Alonso.
Following the determination of Arsenal’s outcome, Leverkusen shared a photo of Xhaka with the message ‘What a feeling’, a clear jab at the Gunners’ missed opportunity.
Despite an almost impeccable latter half of the season, Arsenal must now look to the next season to claim the trophy that their performance and development under Mikel Arteta have deserved.
What a feeling ????#Xhaka | #DeutscherMeisterSVB #Winnerkusen pic.twitter.com/PtvDvA6m3f
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) May 19, 2024
Addressing Arsenal fans after Sunday’s win over another of his former team Everton, Arteta said: ‘All this is happening because you started believing, you started to be patient and started to understand what we tried to do. All the credit has to go to the players and the staff,’ he said.
‘Don’t be satisfied. We want much more than that and we’re going to get it.’
Those sentiments were echoed by current Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard, who capped a superb individual season with two more assists against the Toffees.
He said: ‘I think we’re all a little bit disappointed. We’ve been fighting so long for the big dream. We were so close. I’m so proud of the boys, so proud of the team the fans. I’m so proud of the progress we are making.
‘We’ve changed the club and I think you all believe in us now.’
‘Just so frustrating, when you see them all (supporters) here, it’s tough,’ added Kai Havertz, who scored the controversial late winner.
‘But I can tell them next year we are going to be even better team, and we are going to give everything next year again.’
