Arsenal could dominate English football for the next three or four years
As the Premier League season draws to a close, BBC pundit Troy Deeney has offered his considered verdict on those who shaped the campaign most profoundly — and the answer, overwhelmingly, is Arsenal. After 22 years of waiting, the Gunners claimed the title under Mikel Arteta, and Deeney's team of the season reads as both a celebration of collective excellence and a testament to the individual brilliance that can illuminate even the darkest club narratives. In assembling his selections, Deeney invites us to consider not just who won, but what winning — and striving — looks like across an entire footballing ecosystem.
- Arsenal's first league title in 22 years dominates the conversation, with six of Deeney's eleven selections drawn from Arteta's squad — a concentration of recognition that signals a potential shift in English football's power structure.
- David Raya's third consecutive Golden Glove, anchored by a single decisive save against West Ham, raises urgent questions about why domestic brilliance has not translated into a starting role for Spain.
- Individual performances carry clubs in crisis: Bruno Fernandes breaks the Premier League assists record to drag Manchester United back into Europe, while Jarrod Bowen accumulates 20 goal contributions even as West Ham are relegated around him.
- Nico O'Reilly's positional versatility at a rudderless Manchester City and Dominik Szoboszlai's lonely excellence at a struggling Liverpool point to the fragility beneath the surface of two historic clubs.
- Mikel Arteta's inclusion as manager frames the broader stakes — Deeney sees not just a title won, but a dynasty beginning, with Arsenal potentially dominating English football for the next three to four years.
Troy Deeney has spent the season delivering weekly judgements from the BBC studio, and now, with the campaign winding down, he has assembled his definitive team of the season. Arsenal's fingerprints are all over it.
The Gunners ended a 22-year wait for the league title, and Deeney's selections honour that achievement with six inclusions. David Raya claimed his third consecutive Golden Glove, with Deeney singling out one save against West Ham as the moment that effectively decided the title race — a striking tribute to a goalkeeper's individual weight in a collective triumph, even if Raya's form has yet to earn him Spain's number-one shirt. Behind him, William Saliba and Gabriel formed a defensive partnership defined by intelligence and positioning, with Gabriel adding goals and assists from set-pieces. Declan Rice completed the Arsenal spine, his consistency placing him, in Deeney's view, on a trajectory toward Ballon d'Or contention should Arsenal conquer Europe and England perform at the World Cup.
Beyond the champions, Deeney's selections tell stories of individual brilliance sustaining clubs through turbulent seasons. Bruno Fernandes broke the Premier League assists record with 21, keeping Manchester United competitive enough to reclaim Champions League football. At Brentford, 21-year-old Michael Kayode emerged as a lockdown defender with an unlikely attacking weapon in his long throw, while Igor Thiago scored 22 league goals — the first Brazilian to reach that mark in the competition's history.
Nico O'Reilly, Deeney's standout player of the season, offered Manchester City rare stability across multiple positions amid managerial uncertainty. Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai was his club's sole consistent bright spot, his true influence understated by mere statistics. Jarrod Bowen's 20 goal contributions amid West Ham's relegation, and Antoine Semenyo's January arrival at City reigniting their title challenge, complete a picture of individual excellence operating in complicated circumstances.
Mikel Arteta closes the selection as manager, credited by Deeney with transforming Arsenal from a club once ridiculed into a potential dynasty. The philosophy never wavered, and the results, at last, have arrived to match it.
Troy Deeney has spent the entire Premier League season offering his weekly verdict on who deserved recognition for their performances. Now, as the campaign winds down, the BBC pundit has assembled his team of the season—and Arsenal's fingerprints are all over it.
The Gunners claimed their first league title in 22 years, and Deeney's selections reflect that dominance. Six Arsenal players made the cut, beginning with goalkeeper David Raya, who claimed his third consecutive Golden Glove award. Deeney credits Raya with being instrumental to Arsenal's success, singling out one particular save against West Ham as the moment that ultimately decided the title race. It's a striking claim about a goalkeeper's individual contribution to a league-winning campaign, and Deeney notes the puzzlement that Raya hasn't secured Spain's number-one position despite his domestic form.
The defensive spine that anchored Arsenal's title push features William Saliba and Gabriel, a partnership Deeney describes as having the intelligence and positioning to neutralize opposing attacks. Gabriel adds another dimension—he's a threat at set-pieces, chipping in with both goals and assists from dead-ball situations. Alongside them sits Declan Rice, Arsenal's midfield engine, whose consistency week after week has him on a trajectory that could lead to Ballon d'Or consideration if Arsenal wins the Champions League and England performs well in the World Cup.
Beyond Arsenal, Deeney's selections paint a picture of individual brilliance sustaining clubs through mixed seasons. Bruno Fernandes broke the Premier League assists record with 21, keeping Manchester United competitive enough to reclaim Champions League football. At Brentford, 21-year-old Michael Kayode has emerged as a lockdown defender with an unexpected attacking threat via long throws, while Igor Thiago scored 22 league goals—a historic achievement as the first Brazilian to reach that mark in the Premier League.
Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai and Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly represent different kinds of hope for their respective clubs. O'Reilly, in Deeney's assessment, is the season's standout player, having played multiple positions and offered a glimpse of stability for whoever takes over City's managerial position. Szoboszlai has been Liverpool's sole bright spot, his goal and assist tallies understating his true impact on a struggling side.
Jarrod Bowen's inclusion underscores an unusual narrative: West Ham were relegated, yet Bowen accumulated 20 goals and assists, a remarkable individual performance amid team collapse. Antoine Semenyo, signed by Manchester City in January after a strong start at Bournemouth, became the spark that reignited City's title challenge.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's manager, completes the selection. Deeney credits him with transforming the club from a laughing stock into a potential dynasty, suggesting Arsenal could dominate English football for the next three or four years. Arteta never wavered from his philosophy, and the results speak for themselves. The question now is whether Deeney's selections will align with how supporters and analysts view the season's best performers.
Citações Notáveis
That save against West Ham is the save that won them the title— Troy Deeney, on David Raya's contribution to Arsenal's title win
He has brought Arsenal back from the brink of being a laughing stock to the team that could potentially dominate for the next three or four years— Troy Deeney, on Mikel Arteta's transformation of Arsenal
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Deeney single out one save by Raya as the moment that won Arsenal the title? Isn't that overstating a goalkeeper's role?
It's not really about one moment in isolation. It's about recognizing that Arsenal's title win was built on defensive solidity—they conceded fewer goals than anyone else. Raya was the last line of that system. That save against West Ham probably mattered because it came at a crucial juncture when the margin between winning and not winning was razor-thin.
Six Arsenal players in a team of eleven seems like a lot. Does that reflect genuine dominance or just the pundit's bias toward the winners?
When a team wins the league, they're usually overrepresented in these selections because they've performed at the highest level consistently. But Deeney's also including players from other clubs—Fernandes, Szoboszlai, Thiago. The Arsenal players made it because they were genuinely excellent, not because Arsenal won.
What strikes you about the non-Arsenal selections?
They tell a story about individual brilliance compensating for team underperformance. Fernandes keeping United afloat, Szoboszlai being Liverpool's only real bright spot, Bowen scoring 20 goal contributions for a relegated side. These are players carrying their teams through difficult seasons.
Nico O'Reilly is called the player of the season, but he's not the most famous name here. Why him over someone like Raya or Rice?
O'Reilly's versatility and the fact that he's offering stability for Manchester City's future matters. He's young, he's played multiple positions, and he's been reliable when the team needed him. Sometimes the player of the season isn't the one with the flashiest stats.
What does Arteta's inclusion as manager suggest about how the season is being evaluated?
It suggests that managerial philosophy and consistency matter as much as individual performances. Arteta took a club that was struggling and built something sustainable. That's not luck—that's system and belief.