We look at Mikel Arteta’s next steps, Liverpool potentially missing out on an old flame and Anthony Gordon’s move to Barcelona
The margins were so narrow that Arsenal might have finished Saturday as European champions had Gabriel Magalhães not skied his penalty in the shootout. Similarly, the Champions League trophy may have ended up in their grasp had Cristhian Mosquera stopped himself from tripping Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to give Paris Saint-Germain a way back after the Gunners had taken an early lead.
In other ways, though, the margin of PSG’s victory was huge. Arsenal’s possession share of just 24.7% was the lowest in a Champions League final since records began. Mikel Arteta’s team completed just 196 passes in 120 minutes of play. In comparison, PSG recorded more than 800, 488 of them in the opposition half.
Of course, possession doesn’t always equal dominance and Arsenal certainly restricted PSG in a way few teams have recently. It’s also true, however, that the Gunners need another dimension to increase their chance of winning these sorts of games in the future. That much is clear. Arteta must evolve his team to be more imposing against the very best opponents.
Left-wing is the easiest upgrade. Leandro Trossard started against PSG, but struggled to make an impact, failing to register a single touch in the opposition box. Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to offer a more vertical threat, but faltered in his decision-making when Arsenal might have got in behind on the break once or twice.
Arteta’s process to this point has been methodical. Last summer, he pushed for the addition of several depth options in the belief it would help Arsenal get over the line in a title race. He was vindicated as the Gunners won the Premier League for the first time since the Arsène Wenger era. Now, he must learn lessons from what happened in Budapest to continue the process.
While Fenway Sports Group (FSG) were still deciding what to do about Arne Slot’s future, Liverpool’s fans were singing Xabi Alonso’s name. They saw a team in desperate need of a new direction to bounce back from a disappointing 2025-26 season and the former Liverpool midfielder was widely believed to be the right man for the job.
So when Slot’s departure was confirmed on Saturday, two weeks after Chelsea appointed Alonso, there was bemusement. Why did Liverpool wait until the obvious replacement had accepted another job offer to make a managerial change? Where was the foresight?
Alonso would have made a lot of sense for Liverpool, and not just because he is a former player and a fan favorite. The Spaniard favors the sort of front foot, proactive soccer FSG have been moving towards for a number of seasons. Even before Jurgen Klopp left, Liverpool were infusing more control into their play. Alonso would have been a continuation of this.
What’s more, Alonso was a key figure in the development of Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong at Bayer Leverkusen. Considering both players struggled for consistent form in their first season at Liverpool after big-money moves last summer, Alonso’s appointment would have been a way for the club to protect their investment.
Instead, Liverpool are close to hiring Andoni Iraola. The former Bournemouth boss is highly rated, but will arrive at Anfield without the top-level success Alonso boasts. Iraola’s style is closer to Klopp’s transition-heavy approach than Slot’s possession-orientated game. Liverpool fans got what they wanted in Slot’s dismissal, but FSG have chosen their own way forward.
As if Anthony Gordon’s £69.3m move to Barcelona last week wasn’t surprising enough, the Liverpool-born winger opened his mouth at his Camp Nou unveiling and spoke excellent Spanish, albeit with a slight Scouse twang. He had, according to Gordon himself, been preparing for years to play for the Catalans. “As a kid I believed I would play for Barcelona, believe it or not,” he said.
That Barça were interested in Gordon – never mind willing to pay so much for him – was confusing to some considering the winger scored just three open-play goals in 26 league appearances for Newcastle United last season. Gordon’s potential has been obvious since emerging as a wonderkid at Everton, but his development had seemingly stalled at St James’ Park.
Even more puzzling, Barcelona hold a clause to sign Marcus Rashford permanently for just £25.9m after a season on loan from Manchester United, yet have instead chosen to spend more than double that on a player who may be behind Rashford in the pecking order for England at the World Cup.
Hansi Flick, however, could see Gordon for more than his crude output. He could be the ultimate system player for Barcelona, who have surely identified the 25-year-old for his ability to press from the front and use his speed in transition. At a time when elite-level wide players are at a premium, Gordon fits the bill for what the Spanish champions need. The Spanish-speaking Scouser is ready for Barça and they may be ready for him.
