Southern Overview

William Saliba is facing a race against time to be fit for the upcoming World Cup in North America after a devastating night in Budapest. The Arsenal mainstay, who has been a pillar of Mikel Arteta’s defence, saw his Champions League dreams crushed before receiving a major blow to his international ambitions.

Gary Lineker has offered a blunt assessment of Arsenal’s standing in European football following their heartbreaking Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Despite Mikel Arteta leading the Gunners to a historic Premier League title, the former England striker believes they still lag behind three continental heavyweights when it comes to pure entertainment.

The 2025-26 European season is over, and it ended just as the 2024-25 did 12 months earlier, with Paris Saint-Germain lifting the European Cup at the end of the Champions League final. Saturday's win over Arsenal in Budapest was a much tighter affair than their thrashing of Inter in Munich, but was greeted with no less joy by the French giants and their supporters as they clinched a double having already won Ligue 1.

Declan Rice celebrated Arsenal's historic Premier League title triumph by leading the festivities on an open-top bus, but the midfielder was quick to turn his attention toward future glory. Despite the lingering sting of a European defeat just hours earlier, the England international insisted the Gunners are only just getting started.