Arsenal are through to the Champions League final after beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
After a difficult first leg in Spain ended 1-1, Mikel Arteta’s side produced another mature European performance to get the job done in the return fixture.
Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal, but this was about much more than one moment of quality.
Arteta tactically got the better of Diego Simeone across the two legs and once again showed why he is now regarded as one of the best managers in world football.
Wesley Sneijder was so impressed that he made an incredible claim about the Arsenal boss after the game.
Arsenal are Champions League finalists, sum up your emotions in one sentence
Wesley Sneijder says Mikel Arteta deserves a statue at Arsenal
When Arteta arrived at Arsenal in December 2019, they were in a terrible position.
The Gunners were drifting further away from Europe’s elite, lacked identity and looked nowhere near competing for the biggest trophies.
Fast forward to now, and Arsenal are arguably the best team on the continent.
They are favourites to win the Premier League and are also just one game away from lifting the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
That transformation has been driven almost entirely by Arteta.
The Spaniard has rebuilt the culture, improved nearly every player he has worked with and turned Arsenal into a feared side again.
Sneijder, who knows exactly what it takes to win the Champions League, was blown away by what he saw against Atletico Madrid.
He said on Ziggo Sport: “It was simply too mediocre and too timid on Atletico’s part.
“This gentleman (Arteta)… I can’t say it often enough, people. But he really deserves a statue, already.
“With this team, it is so impressive to reach the final. Leaving all the other world-class teams behind you. I think that is very impressive.”
Which Arsenal legend should get a statue outside the Emirates Stadium next?
Mikel Arteta won’t be far off an Arsenal statue if he wins the Champions League
The debate around who should receive the next Arsenal statue outside the Emirates Stadium is always a huge talking point among supporters.
Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Tony Adams and Arsene Wenger have already been immortalised in bronze for their contributions to the club.
Many fans believe Ian Wright deserves to be next in line, while Patrick Vieira has strong support too. Martin Keown’s name has also started appearing in those conversations more frequently in recent months because of how he speaks about the club.
However, Arteta could genuinely leapfrog all of them if he delivers the Champions League.
No manager in Arsenal’s history has ever won Europe’s biggest trophy. If Arteta becomes the first to do it while also leading the club to the Premier League title, the calls for a statue could become impossible to ignore.
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