Jermain Defoe might be more associated with Tottenham Hotspur than Arsenal but he was still on hand to sing the Gunners’ praises.
Defoe looked on from afar as his former club rescued themselves on the final day while across London, Arsenal beat Palace and celebrated with the Premier League trophy.
Across Arsenal’s squad, there are stories and journeys galore.
However, for Defoe, there are two players in particular who have inspired him for different reasons.
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Jermain Defoe praises Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice after Arsenal’s title win
Declan Rice has been Arsenal’s best player all season. He might well win the player of the year award and there’s a chance he can win the Champions League and World Cup as well.
Eze, of course, has been more of a moments player but he’s played a crucial role in the team winning.
And according to Defoe, both players need to be looked at as an inspiration for others.
“Individually, you look at Declan Rice and coming to Arsenal to win, it was a massive fee. Eze’s journey is inspirational, getting released as a kid and having to keep going,” Defoe said.
“I think there’s a famous tweet or something, he spoke about how he was going to be successful again, to now go to Arsenal and win the league – and potentially the Champions League as well – it’s what dreams are made of.
“They have got to embrace this, you never know when it’s going to happen again.”
Both Rice and Eze will be in the USA this summer to try and help England bring home the World Cup.
Whether there will be a case of any burnout from the duo, remains to be seen.
For now, though, they are all about Arsenal and going into the clash with PSG, both will have a big role to play in Budapest.
Ultimately, if Rice and Eze play well in that final, then there’s a much better chance of Arsenal coming out on top.
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