Arsenal’s hierarchy must make quick, smart and bold decisions if it is to continue progressing, manager Mikel Arteta said on Saturday, after his side lost on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
The defeat marks the second time Arsenal have lost in the final of Europe’s premier competition, although this time they will console themselves in the knowledge that they have just won their first English league title in 22 years.
The London club took the lead in Budapest when Kai Havertz netted after just six minutes, but they were ultimately pushed back by Ousmane Dembélé’s penalty and suffered a penalty shootout heartbreak after extra time.
A dejected Arteta said his club now had to make some «very important decisions» if they wanted to become a dominant force both domestically and in Europe.
“First of all, I would spend a few days with my family and then we will start the process of assessing what we have done,” Arteta told reporters.
“If you want to reach another level, we will have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing that, but it requires us to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”
PSG dominated possession after Arsenal shocked the reigning champions by taking an early lead.
It wasn’t until the French side equalized in the 65th minute that Arsenal pressed on, although that left more spaces in which PSG’s dangerous attack thrived.
Center backs Gabriel and William Saliba produced near-flawless performances as Arsenal suppressed PSG. But the Brazilian was the unlucky one who missed the final penalty and left the French team as winners.
Arteta said he felt Arsenal could have had a penalty of their own when Noni Madueke came under pressure in the penalty area in extra time, but he did not want to use that as an excuse.
“If, if, if is not what happened,” said the Spaniard. “So we have to do better, improve and find other margins to achieve the result.”
Both Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and the team’s midfielder Declan Rice echoed Arteta’s disappointment.
They have made a hard shift. PSG had 72 percent of the ball compared to Arsenal’s 28 percent and made around four times as many attacks and completed passes.
“It is the small margins that will decide a match like this, and even more so if it is penalties,” Odegaard said. “That is the reality of football and we have to deal with it.”
Published on May 31, 2026
