England football hero Chris Waddle has given his verdict on Arsenal 's title triumph, their Champions League final clash with Paris Saint-Germain , and why Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will have his pick of Europe's biggest clubs this summer.
Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports , the former Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur star also weighed in on whether Kylian Mbappe could ever fit into Mikel Arteta 's system at Arsenal .
Arsenal
How Will This Arsenal Be Remembered?
Mikel Arteta 's Arsenal will be remembered as a very, very well-organised team. I don't think they've been too great on the eye compared to how Manchester City or Liverpool have won their league titles. I don't think Arsenal have been as entertaining as the other sides who've previously won the Premier League . But I don't think they'll care about that.
Lifting the Premier League trophy was the goal at the start of the season. They've been building up to this for the last three years. Now they've got it over the line, and whichever way they play, people have got to respect the fact that out of 38 games, Arsenal have been the most consistent team. You can't take that away from them. Do you want entertainment or do you want trophies? I think Arteta has chosen trophies and built a proper unit of a team. OK, he's spent a lot of money to do that, but he's also organised them, drilled it into them, and whatever you think of this Arsenal side, they've done it.
When you used to think about Arsenal , you'd think about Arsene Wenger. You didn't think about how well organised they were, their physicality, or their threat from set pieces. Arteta has come in, and he's been more like Jose Mourinho than Arsene Wenger, and it's been exactly what they needed.
Listen, this is the great thing about football. It takes all sorts. You can have your entertainers, you can have teams that base their game on clean sheets and nicking results, and there's always another way of playing football. At the end of the day, over 38 games, you find out who has been the best team that season, no matter how they play. Arsenal have got themselves into a Champions League final, so you've got to take your hat off to them for that too.
How Can Arsenal Go Back-To-Back?
Mikel Arteta will have to clear a few out first before he buys, because Arsenal have got a massive squad. When you look at it on paper, they've got such a big squad. I don't think they can really make too many acquisitions until they move some players on. I think Arsenal are a little bit weak in terms of creativity. Martin Odegaard had that injury and was out for some time, and he's really very important to the way Arsenal like to play. I know they've got Eberechi Eze, but he's not the same player he was for Crystal Palace . For Palace, I thought he was this off-the-cuff player, whereas Arteta needs him to be more regimented. He's been told he doesn't have the freedom to express himself like he had at Palace. Ethan Nwaneri has gone on loan to Marseille , but he has struggled.
I think they need to be looking at another winger on the left-hand side, because Leandro Trossard isn't really a winger. He's been converted into one. Trossard has done well. I'm not saying he hasn't. He's a dangerous player, but I don't think he's a winger. He does give them a little bit of balance, but somebody like Anthony Gordon would be a good acquisition, or maybe even Jarrod Bowen , especially if West Ham go down. He would be a player who could play in this Arsenal team. I know he likes to play down the right, and that's where Bukayo Saka is, but he could do a job down the left, and he'd get you goals and work hard for the team.
The biggest issue Arsenal will face next season is complacency, if that starts to kick in. It's been a very demanding few years for them, mentally and physically, and it's very hard to keep going. That's why Arteta will need to have his eye on a couple of players if they become available. Right now, Arsenal have got a good squad and a lot of good players. So it's not about how you strengthen the squad necessarily, but big clubs always need to have one or two acquisitions every season to give the players who are already there some competition. It gives the fans something new to look at, too. It keeps everyone on their toes.
Arsenal could do with another striker, too, because I don't see a player to score 20 or 25 goals in a season. If you look at Arsenal , they've won a lot of games without really battering a team by five or six, like we've seen teams like City do. When City go to town on a team, they go to town. Arsenal have been quite happy to win by one or two. I'd be looking for someone else to come in and push Viktor Gyokeres next season. We know that Kai Havertz got that shirt back at times, but I still think Arsenal need another proper centre-forward, although they did spend a lot on Gyokeres last summer.
Transfer Talk
Mbappe To Arsenal?
Kylian Mbappe is not going to play for a team who aren't competing for the biggest trophies. Arsenal are obviously in the Champions League final this year, but they'd need to be getting back in it again next year, too.
If they could get Mbappe , he would play on that left-hand side. He prefers playing out there over playing as a centre-forward, and he would be a great acquisition in terms of his own quality, but would he fit into the way Arsenal play? Mbappe is a bit of a loose cannon. He's the kind of player where you put a shirt on him and tell him to go out and do what he does. I don't know if he could fit into a system. He's not going to listen to Mikel Arteta if he's telling him he needs to stay out wide and work his wing up and down. That's not Kylian Mbappe . I can't see it.
Kvaratskhelia To The Premier League?
Who would get the best out of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the Premier League ? The way that Manchester City play, we've seen Antoine Semenyo come in from Bournemouth , a really good player, and they haven't stifled him. They've let him get on with it, and Kvaratskhelia carries the ball so well. I think that would suit the way this City side is going. I'll tell you what, if Kvaratskhelia played on the right, he'd be an even better fit for Liverpool , and he'd be a great signing for the way Liverpool play. Any team who wants the ball, likes to press, and will play on the front foot with a high line would fit him really well.
Kvaratskhelia would cost an absolute fortune, but maybe in one or two years, he may get bored with things in Paris, as he did at Napoli , and he might want to go and experience the Premier League in England, or go and play for one of the big teams in Spain. Imagine if Barcelona signed Kvaratskhelia to play down the left-hand side with Lamine Yamal down the right. You could see him at Real Madrid too. I'm sure he'd love to play for them, and their fans would love him as well for the way he plays. Kvaratskhelia will have his pick if he ever decides to leave Paris Saint-Germain , but I don't think he will be allowed to leave Paris, at least not for another couple of seasons.
Can Kvaratskhelia Win Multiple Ballon d'Or Trophies?
Can Khvicha Kvaratskhelia go on and win the Ballon d'Or year after year? He was sensational for Napoli . I thought he was a real difference maker. It took him a little bit of time to settle in Paris, but for the last year, he's been on fire, especially in the Champions League . He's so exciting to watch. He carries the ball so well. He's got a good football brain, too. There'll be a lot of clubs after him if he ever does become available, but maybe he'll go to a club we don't expect.
When I was looking at clubs I could move to, I always wanted to pick teams who I thought played the way I liked to play football, and I think he will probably do the same. He's an entertainer, so he'll want to join a team that plays entertaining football, on the front foot, wanting the ball and letting him express himself.
Champions League Final
How Can Arsenal Stop PSG?
Arsenal have got to park the bus to get a result against Paris Saint-Germain , and Arsenal can go and do that. PSG enjoyed playing against Bayern Munich because Bayern Munich thought they could score one more goal than PSG could, but when PSG have hard games, it's been against teams who are well-drilled, organised, and have a bit of pace on the counter. They've not had great results in games like that, and that is the way to beat them.
If you try and go toe-to-toe with them, as Bayern Munich did, this PSG team will hurt you. But they can park the bus, too, by the way. They can play on the front foot, they can hit you on the counter, and they've got a squad that can change formation very easily. I think Mikel Arteta will be telling his players they are definitely not going to go toe-to-toe with Paris Saint-Germain . They will park the bus, take their chances, and hurt them from set pieces and counter-attacks. I think that is the only way I see Arsenal getting a win.
Can Gyokeres Cause PSG Problems?
Is Viktor Gyokeres a problem that Paris Saint-Germain 's defenders may struggle to deal with? No, because their centre-backs have seen it all. It doesn't matter if you're playing it fast, direct, or physical — they know how to deal with it. They've been there, bought the t-shirt. They'll know exactly what they need to do to deal with him, whether that's roughing him up or leaving him be.
Maybe that's why Mikel Arteta will play Kai Havertz against PSG . Arteta will have a game plan to hit PSG on the counter with pace. This is where he earns his money. Even if he has to park the bus for 120 minutes or longer, then so be it. If they try and take them on, I'd be very surprised if PSG didn't win.
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