David Seaman names Arsenal’s standout player and makes Champions League final prediction

Arsenal legend David Seaman has backed Mikel Arteta’s side to edge past Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final and win a ‘really special’ double this season.

Arteta’s men didn’t even have to kick a ball on what will go down as a famous night in Arsenal’s history, with Manchester City slipping up at Bournemouth to end the Gunners’ painful 22-year wait for the prestigious trophy.

Erling Haaland’s late equaliser made for a nervy finish amongst Arsenal supporters watching on, but there were raucous celebrations in north London as referee Anthony Taylor blew his whistle to signal full-time at the Vitality Stadium.

Arsenal fans descended on the Emirates in their droves to soak up the moment, while Arteta’s players and staff gathered at the club’s training ground to party into the early hours.

The Gunners now have the luxury of being able to rest key men when they take to the field for their last remaining match of the Premier League campaign away to Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

Once the dust has settled on Arsenal’s celebrations, Arteta and his troops will look to focus their attentions on what promises to be an intriguing Champions League final against the holders PSG, with a historic double within their grasp.

‘It brought back a lot of memories but this is the here and now, this is the Arsenal of today,’ ex-Arsenal and England goalkeeper Seaman said of the club’s achievement on Sky Sports News.

‘What’s happened now is every Arsenal fan has seen us win the league which is so special.

‘You wouldn’t have thought that [it would take 22 years to win a title] because in the seasons before that, when I was at the club, we won trophies so that was expected of us.

‘For it to go that long, it’s a shame. But it doesn’t matter now because we’ve finally done it again.

‘The release of pressure now will be so great that I wouldn’t be surprised if this team go on to win more and more because they’ve sampled it now, they know what it feels like.’

A beaming Seaman added: ‘Three seasons of coming second is normally a positive but a lot of people turned it into a negative. But it wasn’t, it was always a progression.

‘We’ve gone one step further, one step further and now we’re in with a great chance of winning a really, really special double.’

According to Seaman, the fans, the players and Arteta must all take credit for Arsenal managing to get it over the line at long last.

‘The way that the manager kept on and kept positive, he kept giving the lads a lot of confidence. He just kept believing, kept making his players believe,’ he continued.

‘And also the fans… there have been countless times when I’ve seen Mikel urging the fans to get behind us and the players were doing it as well on matchday.

‘I was at the Bournemouth game when we lost at the Emirates and that was a very negative crowd reaction I thought because we were still top of the league, we were in the Champions League semi-final and that was the time when the fans needed to get behind us and they did. We’ve deserved it, we’ve thoroughly deserved it.’

Seaman expects Arsenal’s hierarchy to invest heavily to further strengthen the squad this summer, despite already boasting ‘the best’ group he has seen during his time as a player and a supporter.

‘Who knows [where Arteta can take Arsenal]. He’s got the backing of the club, they’ve shown that this season and I’m sure there will be additions coming into the squad as well,’ Seaman – who won two Premier League titles with the Gunners – went on.

‘The squad that I see now at Arsenal is the best that I’ve seen at the club and now it’s time for the team to deliver more.

‘Once you’ve done it, honestly, you want to win more and I’m sure that’s what the players are going to be striving for and in Mikel, we’ve got a manager who will get the best out of that squad.’

Asked for his prediction ahead of the Champions League final later this month, Seaman replied: ‘It’s all about winning, it’s not how we play.

‘But the old famous scoreline, “1-0 to the Arsenal”, has still got a great sound to it.’

David Raya is among the favourites to be named the PFA Player of the Year after yet another outstanding season between the sticks for the Gunners, in which he won the Golden Glove award for a third successive campaign.

Asked if Raya should already be deemed one of Arsenal’s greatest ever goalkeepers, Seaman replied: ‘Definitely. Once you’ve won something with the club then you’re in there, you’re in that club.

‘David has been fantastic all season, making great saves. That save against West Ham, the way that he stood up… he stands and stands and stands and then waits right at the end to stick his leg out.

‘That showed fantastic nerve and a really important save and he’s been doing that all season.

‘I remember one that he made against Brighton that was epic, he just tipped it over the bar, but he’s been like that not just this season, two or three seasons before.

‘He’s got the Golden Glove for the third time in a row so yeah, he’s a fantastic goalkeeper and he’s up there. He’s right up there.’

And despite Declan Rice’s extraordinary contribution in the middle of the park, Seaman believes Raya stands out above the rest as Arsenal’s player of the season.

‘That’s a good question. It’s a hard question to answer because when you look at it, everybody has had a contribution,’ he said.

‘For me, it’s between Declan Rice and David Raya… I’m going to go for David because some of the saves he’s made, at a really, really important time, have been epic for the club.

‘So I will definitely go with Mr David Raya.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Comments


Add as preferred source