Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has asserted that winning trophies is not the only measure of club success after fierce North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur won the Europa League on Wednesday by defeating Manchester United, Afrosport reports.
It ended a 17-year wait for a trophy even as Spurs are set to finish a distant 17th in the Premier League, while the Gunners will go another season without a title despite securing second place for the third consecutive season.
It has raised questions on which team had a better season, but Arteta was not drawn into comparisons.
“They are [Europa League] champions, and when you get to that, you have to do a lot of things right,” the Spaniard said.
“I think they’re going through a season with a lot of obstacles and difficulties. And they have, at the end… a beautiful moment.
“I don’t like to compare with other teams. I need to analyse my team, that’s my job.”
He added: “Where is the joy then? Because then if I have to analyse ourselves … we have failed the last 20 years in the Premier League and we have failed in all our history in the Champions League.
“Who are we then? Where is our brand, where is our club… where is our value, our way of playing? Where are the moments that we lived together with our people?”
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 22, 2025
Arsenal will end their season away at already-relegated Southampton on Sunday.
