Bukayo Saka has receipts! Arsenal star reacts to ‘bottle’ critics going into ‘hiding mode’ as Gunners complete transformation from ‘cry babies’ to champions

Saka has vowed to "find" those who publicly doubted the club's Premier League title credentials. The Gunners were confirmed as league winners after Manchester City drew at Bournemouth on Tuesday night, sparking wild celebrations in north London and ending years of hurts for the Emirates faithful.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Saka did not hold back when addressing the narrative that has followed Mikel Arteta’s side for the last three seasons. "We know what everyone says about us and what we have to deal with in the club, the doubts we have, can we really do it?" Saka said. "We've done it now, time to enjoy it. People are starting to go into hiding mode, but we're going to find them."

The 24-year-old suggested that the criticism aimed at Arsenal often felt disproportionate compared to other top clubs, claiming the team were previously unable to defend themselves without being labeled overly sensitive. He believes the squad has finally shed the "soft" reputation that critics used to mock them during previous title collapses.

"I don't know why it is," Saka explained when discussing the scrutiny. "We can say it now freely, but before if we said it, they'd say we're cry babies. Things about Arsenal are spoken about much more than they necessarily need to be, and made into a bigger thing if we drop points or we lose a game. It comes along with the joke, you saw everyone with their bottles out. It's a bit of banter, people are going to give it to us, and we'll give it back. We've earned the right to. It's time to enjoy it."

Despite the collective success, Saka admitted that the road to the trophy was personally gruelling. The winger missed several weeks of the campaign through injury, and though he returned to provide crucial goals and assists against Newcastle, Fulham, and Burnley, he acknowledged that his physical condition was a constant battle throughout the year.

"There's a lot to say. The last few years, physically I haven't been at my best level and I paid the price with some of my performances," he admitted. "I know that myself, I don't need anyone to tell me. This was a very important year for us. For me, I had to keep my spirit up, stay faithful and know that God was going to deliver for us in the end. It was tough, it tested me a lot this year, but in the end we've done it. The people in this club - it's not just me - a lot of players and staff have had tough moments this year, but we stuck together and it feels so special now we've done it."

The celebrations may be in full swing, but Arsenal’s season is far from over as they prepare for a historic Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. Having secured the domestic crown, Saka believes the newfound "freedom" of being champions will aid them as they look to lift the European Cup for the first time in the club's history.

"We've obviously never won the Champions League before, and a lot of people after we won against Atletico Madrid are talking to me about the final, how they cried," Saka said. "That's what it means, to win in Europe is so massive. We can do that next week and it would be amazing for the club to make history. We'd love to do that. I think it's more on ourselves, I'd say. Obviously we wanted the Premier League, everyone knows that. Now we've done it, it's going to give us more confidence, more freedom, a flow going into that match."