‘That title belonged to us’ — Arsenal's Saliba reveals how Gunners broke 22-year jinx

Arsenal centre-back William Saliba has described the club's long-awaited Premier League title victory as a massive weight off his shoulders following years of painful near misses.

Speaking ahead of France's opening match against Senegal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the defender opened up about the immense grit required to finally bring the trophy back to North London.

The 25-year-old French international explained that breaking the club's 22-year league drought was the ultimate reward for their persistence after finishing as runners-up for three consecutive seasons since the 2022–23 campaign.

Saliba admitted that the repeating pattern of second-place finishes had created an intense, must-win pressure within the dressing room.

"It was a relief for everyone," Saliba said, looking back at his four-year journey with the Gunners. "When you finish second three years in a row, you tell yourself that you absolutely have to win, it can't go on like that.

“This season, we finally had almost every position covered with depth, and that's essential in a league as demanding as the Premier League, where you know you're going to have two or three injured players every month at a minimum."

The decisive factor in Arsenal's historic championship run was their unwavering mental strength when pushed to the absolute limit by their closest rivals.

Saliba credited Mikel Arteta's squad depth and squad belief for allowing them to go toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola's side until the very end.

"Manchester City never gave up. It was like an arm wrestle," the centre-back explained. "We believed in it from the beginning, and we weren't going to let go. That title belonged to us."

Now shifting his focus to international duty, Saliba hopes to carry that same championship-winning momentum into the tournament as France begins its quest for global glory against a dangerous Senegal side.