Arteta Urges Arsenal To Be Ambitious After Champions League Final Heartbreak

• Mikel Arteta has called on Arsenal to be “very ambitious” in the transfer market after their Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
• Arsenal lost 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest, with Gabriel Magalhães missing the decisive spot-kick.
• Arteta praised PSG’s individual quality and suggested the Gunners must make key decisions this summer to reach the next level.

Mikel Arteta has urged Arsenal to act with ambition this summer after seeing his side fall agonisingly short in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.

The Gunners were beaten 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the Puskas Arena, extending their wait for a first European crown despite ending a 22-year drought to win the Premier League title this season.

Arsenal looked on course for victory when Kai Havertz fired them ahead in the sixth minute, but Ousmane Dembélé’s second-half penalty levelled the contest before PSG eventually prevailed in the shootout.

Gabriel Magalhães missed the decisive penalty, allowing the French champions to successfully defend their European title.

Speaking after the defeat, Arteta said Arsenal must use the disappointment as motivation and make bold decisions during the upcoming transfer window.

“First of all I will take a few days with my family and then we will start the process to review what we’ve done,” Arteta said.

“We start to make some very important decisions if we want to reach another level.

“And we’re going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it, but it’s going to demand to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”

Arsenal are expected to strengthen their squad this summer as they look to build on a campaign that delivered domestic success but ended in European disappointment.

Reports have linked the club with a move for Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez, although Arsenal are expected to face competition from Barcelona for the Argentina international’s signature.

Despite the result, Arteta was full of praise for PSG and head coach Luis Enrique, describing the French side as the best team in world football.

“I want to congratulate PSG, Luis in particular, because they are, in my opinion, the best team in the world,” Arteta said.

“What they are able to do with the ball, with individual actions, I haven’t seen it.

“It’s not the plan to play in certain areas when you don’t have the ball, but they force you to do that. So, even more credit to the players.”

PSG controlled large portions of the final, finishing with 75 per cent possession and 21 shots compared to Arsenal’s seven.

However, Arsenal defended resolutely and came within two penalties of lifting the trophy before misses from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel proved costly.

Goalkeeper David Raya briefly kept Arsenal alive by saving Nuno Mendes’ penalty, but PSG ultimately held their nerve to secure another European triumph.

Arteta admitted the defeat would take time to process but expressed immense pride in his players and staff.

“[I feel] pain, that’s it,” he said.

“When you are so close in the competition and you are a few penalty kicks away from winning the biggest football club competition, that’s the way which you feel.

“What I said to the players and the staff is that if I tell them one million times thank you it’s not going to be enough.

“And it’s not because we won the Premier League and it’s not because we played the cup final, it’s not because we played the Champions League final in the manner that we’ve done, it’s because the joy and the moments that we have lived together every single day and that’s above anything else.”

Arteta also questioned a key refereeing decision during extra time after Noni Madueke went down under a challenge from Nuno Mendes inside the penalty area.

The Arsenal manager felt his side may have been denied a crucial spot-kick.

“I watch it back and it could easily be a penalty,” Arteta said.

“Especially we see the penalties they gave this year in the competition.

“This season, the referee made a decision, and he made a different one with Cristhian Mosquera and that is an important one.”

Despite the heartbreak, Arsenal’s season marked significant progress, with a Premier League title and a first Champions League final appearance in two decades.

The challenge now for Arteta will be turning domestic success into sustained European glory as Arsenal prepare for another major campaign next season.