ARSENAL have invited the Invincibles to their final game of the season.
The Gunners hope the legendary players who lifted the Premier League trophy without losing a game in 2003/04 will witness Mikel Arteta’s current side end the club’s 20-year wait to be champions.
ReutersArsenal won the title without losing a game in 2003/04[/caption]
GettyMikel Arteta can bring the title back to North London for the first time in 20 years[/caption]
It is understood that boss Arsene Wenger and the whole first-team squad from that unique season have been asked to attend the last-day clash with Everton at the Emirates on May 19.
And whatever happens on the day, there will also be a separate lunch to celebrate the first and so far only team to go unbeaten for an entire top-flight season in the modern era of English football.
But the event in a fortnight’s time has the potential to be one of the biggest parties in Arsenal’s history – or a bittersweet occasion.
Wenger and a team featuring Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires wrote their names into history when they came from behind to beat Leicester 2-1 at Highbury on May 15, 2004, and so end the season with a record of P38 W26 D12 L0.
If the 2023/24 title race goes down to the last day, the presence of the club legends in the stands will only add to the sense of occasion – and perhaps to the pressure on Arteta and his team.
Sporting director Edu was part of Wenger’s squad 20 seasons ago and helping the Gunners to their first title since would bring the former midfielder full circle.
Arrangements and schedules for both the final-day event and the lunch are being finalised.
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Arsenal’s Invincibles squad
Jens Lehmann
Ashley Cole
Patrick Vieira
Martin Keown
Robert Pires
Freddie Ljungberg
Jose Antonio Reyes
Dennis Bergkamp
Sylvain Wiltord
Lauren
Thierry Henry
Ray Parlour
Edu
Pascal Cygan
Gilberto Silva
Gael Clichy
Sol Campbell
Nwankwo Kanu
Kolo Toure
Jeremie Aliadiere
But Arsenal were determined to mark the achievement.
Only Preston North End had previously been crowned champions of England without losing a game, when they claimed the inaugural First Division title way back in 1888/89 with 18 win and four draws.
It is believed the Premier League will also mark the 20-year anniversary with content on its media channels but has no separate celebration planned.
As revealed by SunSport, Invincibles goalkeeper Jens Lehmann stole a march on Arsenal by registering “The Invincibles” as a trademark.
Lehmann, fellow players, Wenger and other staff stand to benefit from the profits of a company being set up to exploit the name and achievement commercially.
But on May 15, potential legal issues in the future will be set aside for what Arsenal hope will be a double celebration.
Mikel Arteta’s striker shopping list
By Jordan Davies
ARSENAL are stepping up plans to sign a world-class striker in the summer after their Champions League heartbreak.
Mikel Arteta splashed out £204.5m last summer on Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.
But the Spanish manager accepts he needs a proven goalscorer to take the club to the next level.
And here are the players he is looking at to get the Gunners firing:
BENJAMIN SESKO (RB Leipzig, value £40m-£45m)
One for the future at 20 years old. Scored 16 goals for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga last season and the Slovenian has carried on that good form in Germany with Leipzig this campaign.
VIKTOR GYOKERES (Sporting Lisbon, value £60m-£80m)
Been scouted several times this season. The Swedish striker, 25, is more of a traditional No 9 so may not suit Arsenal’s demand for flexibility but would bring a physicality that boss Mikel Arteta craves.
ALEXANDER ISAK (Newcastle, value £75m-£85m)
Impressed in his first two seasons in English football. The Swede, 24, has the pace and finesse to match his finishing ability, and Eddie Howe’s Toon may need to sell to balance the books this summer.
JOSHUA ZIRKZEE (Bologna, value £45m-£50m)
Dutch wonder is attracting the attentions of clubs across Europe. At 6ft 4in the 22-year-old forward would have no trouble adapting to the Premier League and already has an eye for goal.
XAVI SIMONS (RB Leipzig, value £70m-£80m)
An incredible talent in the Bukayo Saka mould, currently on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The future of the Dutch attacker, 20, depends on how much money his parent club want to make from him.