Arsenal

We asked for your tales and pics from your travels and to hear about how you're soaking up the atmosphere in Budapest before Saturday's Champions League final.

And we also asked those who have not made the trip how you will be spending your Saturday for the big game.

Here are some of your pictures and stories so far...

Ed and Matt: 7am flight from Heathrow to Munich on a plane loaded with Arsenal fans, we couldn't believe everyone had picked the same mad route as us. When we landed and they skipped off to their connecting flight to Budapest, we realised that maybe there was a more efficient route than over seven hours of train hopping through Salzburg and Vienna (with an overnight stop in Gyor). No regrets! COYG.

Simon K: Planes, Trains and Automobiles (though not in that order) Flew out to Vienna first thing and now on a train to Budapest!!

Simon: Heading for Budapest with my friend and, on the way, going to Rome and Geneva.

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

"The one we don't have." That was Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke's response when asked whether he would rather have the Premier League or the Champions League crown.

The American has been flying back and forth from the USA as the Gunners secured the top-flight title for the first time in 22 years.

But with that now in the bag, he was asked about his preference as Arsenal prepare to face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday.

"Which one? The one we don't have. Champions of England sounds pretty good and champions of Europe could sound even better, especially with the double tied to it," he told reporters, including BBC Sport.

Immediately after answering the question, Kroenke's thoughts moved to how Arsenal can continue to keep winning.

"We think we have a chance here. We have vey strong foundations in place to continue to build and try to sustain," he added.

"Getting the foundations in place is usually the hardest part of the journey. now we have all this, it is about trying to stay at the top knowing everyone is trying to climb the mountain after you."

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal have arrived safely in Hungary - are you making the trip to see if the Gunners can win their first Champions League? We want your tales and pics from your travels and to hear about how you're soaking up the atmosphere.

And if you're not lucky enough to be in Budapest, we still want to know where you're watching from and how you're preparing for Saturday's showdown against Paris St-Germain.

Get in touch with your images and stories here

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Before the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, Arsenal players Leandro Trossard, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze have been talking about what winning the trophy would mean to them.

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The former coach of Arsenal's Piero Hincapie and Paris St-Germain's Willian Pacho is excited to attend the Champions League final on Saturday and watch the two battle for European football's most coveted prize.

The centre-backs played for Miguel Angel Ramirez while at Independiente del Valle in Ecuador and were team-mates for a year before Hincapie joined Talleres in 2020.

The Ecuador internationals went on to play one another again when Pacho was at Eintracht Frankfurt and Hincapie was at Bayer Leverkusen two seasons ago, but now they will compete against one another in the Champions League final.

"It's crazy," said Ramirez on BBC Radio 5 Live's Euro Leagues podcast. "They made their debut in the first team with me and now they are playing together in the Champions League final.

"They are competitive animals [and have been] since they were in the academy. Piero [Hincapie] especially, he was under-18 when he joined us in the first team, and was really good on the ball and had good understanding.

"Both of them are really good competitors and beasts.

"I'm in touch with them, and I got a text from Pacho a few weeks ago asking if I was coming to the final, but I said I couldn't make it because I'm coaching.

"But I got sacked a few weeks ago, so straight after I texted him and said: 'I'm in and I'm going!'

"I am so happy because it's a great opportunity for me to see them play and it's a positive side of the story [being sacked]."

Listen to Euro Leagues on BBC Sounds

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Former Arsenal defender Gael Clichy believes Paris St-Germain will be "fearing a team that is difficult to play against", as the Premier League winners prepare for their second Champions League final.

However, he added both sides are "really scary in their own right" as PSG have scored 44 goals in the competition this season, while Arsenal have only conceded six goals across their 14 matches.

Speaking before the Budapest final, Clichy said: "One team is playing free-flowing football and the other team is more conservative and set-piece orientated.

"As much as Paris St-Germain are a fantastic team, so are Arsenal. When you don't concede in so many games with this new formula in the Champions League, it tells you a lot about the character of the team.

"If you are looking for an example of being solid and difficult to beat, there is no better team than Arsenal.

"The reality is that people are fearing a team that is difficult to play against.

"I can see why people are saying the pressure is off Arsenal. I understand it but it is two different competitions, two different objectives and two different types of pressure."

Clichy was an unused substitute when the Gunners were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona in their only previous Champions League final appearance back in 2006.

"We had great players and the team was unbelievable," he added. "Jens Lehmann was sent off early and I think the score would have been different with 11 men.

"But it just shows that anything can happen in 90 minutes, especially in a final."

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Arsenal will have pocketed at least £95m in prize money from this season's Champions League, should they beat Paris St-Germain in the final.

The Gunners have already guaranteed themselves a minimum of about £91.5m for reaching the final, although that may be nearer £130m depending on how much they have earned from Uefa in the form of television revenue.

Winning the final itself is worth an additional 6.5m euros (£5.63m).

Arsenal received 18.62m euros (£16.14m) for qualifying for the league phase. For winning all eight league phase matches, they were given a 16.8m euros (£14.6m) bonus. They were then awarded 2m euros (£1.7m) for a finish between first and eighth place and a further 9.9m euros (£8.6m) for being the top-ranked team.

For reaching the last 16, Mikel Arteta's side were awarded 11m euros (£9.5m). They were given an additional 12.5m euros (£10.8m) for reaching the quarter-finals and a further 15m euros (£13m) for the semi-finals.

As finalists, Arsenal have already guaranteed themselves 18.5m euros (£16m) – a number which will increase to 25m euros (£21.7m) should they beat PSG.

Read the full article on European prize money here

Spanish champions Barcelona are weighing up an approach for Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke says behind-closed-doors football during the Covid-19 pandemic allowed manager Mikel Arteta "space" to help revive the "sleeping giant".

The Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) group took full control of Arsenal in 2018 but it has not always been easy, with fan protests targeted at how the club was being run taking place during their tenure.

The Kroenkes hired Arteta in 2019, giving the former Arsenal player his first senior managerial role, after a period of uncertainty at the club.

It took time for that vision to take hold with two eighth-placed finishes, despite a 2020 FA Cup win, leading to some questioning whether Arteta was the right man for the job.

But the Spaniard has transformed the club after six-and-a-half years in charge and has led the Gunners to their first Premier League title in 22 years.

"I knew we were a sleeping giant that we needed to awaken in some way," Kroenke said. "We haven't had a team or a squad like this in the social media age.

"Social media evolved, the Twittersphere, the instantaneous information, the 'Banter Era' and everything else around it - I'm aware of all of this. I turned 46 [years old] last week. I've grown up around this and I've seen it all from my own perspective.

"I think that is what I'm so proud to see. There was almost a time when you were a closeted Arsenal fan."

But this success does not mean the end of the journey for Kroenke and his vision for the club, with the Gunners playing Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday.

"I can think back and say that our stated goal was winning the Premier League because if you can put yourself in contention for the Premier League, you are in contention for everything else," Kroenke added.

"Should we get a great result on Saturday, it isn't going to change or affect who we are. When you win something, the sun is still going to come up the next day.

"You have to get back to work. There are many teams trying to gain on you, including some historically great ones around the Premier League.

"So we are going to look to strengthen because we know that teams around us are going to get better. If you aren't trying to continually evolve and improve, you are standing still."

Read the full article here

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A Champions League triumph would eclipse anything achieved by Arsenal before, says former Gunners defender Martin Keown.

Keown - who was a member of Arsene Wenger's 'Invincibles' in 2002 when Arsenal won the Premier League without losing a game - believes getting Europe's most coveted trophy back to Emirates Stadium will "cement" Mikel Arteta's side in the club's folklore.

"They'll be the first ever winners of the Champions League so, for me, they're the 'Number Ones', not the 'Unforgettables' or the 'Invincibles', they're the 'Number Ones'," said Keown. "And it puts them there because no-one else has won it.

"Arsenal have been disappointing in Europe. There was a Cup Winners' Cup competition that fell through our hands in 1995. The Uefa Cup in 2000 as well, with Galatasaray beating us on penalties, so the club needs to do something major in Europe.

"Arsenal haven't lost a game yet in this season's Champions League. They must be really proud of that. It can quickly be taken away, by the way, but winning would really cement them in folklore at Arsenal and that is a massive incentive for the players."

The 59-year-old won 10 major trophies in north London and says Arteta's men need "to get angry again" if they want to do the double and see off Paris St-Germain on Saturday.

"I hope there's enough gap between the celebrations to turn them into a different animal. You've got to get angry again, get angry to win. But I'm pretty certain they're going through that now," added Keown.

"The training sessions would have been stepped up. And you get out of that celebration mode and into another. That steely determination comes back.

"Maybe the history of the club doesn't frighten this group. The sky is the limit for them. And I just hope that they can use this as extra energy. It should give them the wings to go and do something really very special."

We asked for your views on whether Arsenal should sign any players from the relegated Premier League sides, Wolves, Burnley and West Ham United

Here are some of your comments:

Paul: Jarrod Bowen would look good in the red and white!

Peter: Aaron Wan-Bissaka would be my choice as backup to Jurrien Timber. I think Ben White is too injury-prone and maybe needs to move on.

Lachlan: I think the only person Arsenal should focus on from relegated clubs is Matheus Fernandes. We need him, Julian Alvaraz and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to have a successful window!

Matthew: I think Arsenal should sign Jarrod Bowen. He is a tireless performer, a proven goalscorer with untapped potential.

Phil: Naturally, people will be drawn to Matheus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville and Bowen. I personally think Summerville and Mateus Mane would be the players to go for for Arsenal. Further back-up to our left and right wings is always a good idea. Fernandes as a Declan Rice backup would be good too, but I think the guy from Porto - Victor Froholdt - is a better bet there.

Laurence: We should sign no-one from the relegated teams, we should be aiming for elite-level players only.

David: Apart from Bowen from West Ham, nobody stands out

Vince: West Ham's Jarrod Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Despite an above-average strength in depth, there were still moments this season when a surfeit of injuries threatened to derail things. And with some players set to be moved on this summer, Bowen will inject fresh impetus upfront with Wan-Bissaka providing good competition and cover in defence. Both are proven top-flight quality and team players, and importantly, will hardly break the bank.

Emil: I think we should sign Summerville from West Ham. I think he is a very talented young player.

Claudio: I think Fernandes and Joao Gomes are top. However, as an Arsenal fan, I would also ask the question: should we be only signing players who can improve this XI? If that's the case, we don't sign either, but Fernandes looks very good and he's younger too. If we can get him for good value, I'd go for it. If I was other clubs though - Fernandes, Gomes, Summervile, Mane, Bowen, Diouf...

Sterls: Bowen and wonderkid Mane from Wolves would be the only two options I would be interested in.

Daniel Austin
BBC Sport senior journalist

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Arsenal might have ended their 22-year wait to the win the title, but is there any metric by which the Gunners wouldn't have been champions?

Very few people would suggest Arsenal were not worthy champions, so is there some insight for us to gain by assessing the performances of all 20 teams in alternative ways?

Just for fun, BBC Sport and Opta have crunched all the numbers to find out - and the Gunners are still looking good!

Now, I already know exactly what you're thinking - "It's real points that count, not expected ones!"

And yes, you're right, points win prizes and that's why the real league table is the only one that matters.

But expected points (xPTS) are useful for football analysts because they can serve as a decent indicator of whether a team over or under-performed across the course of a season.

In another classic of the alternative league table genre, home table and away table, the Gunners also lead the way in both showing their consistency across the campaign. The top four remains the same in both tables.

It will come as no surprise that Arsenal were among the best performers from set-pieces, something that became one of the main talking points of the season.

Will top-flight clubs spend the summer transfer window trying to master the set-piece meta by buying new free-kick takers and a gaggle of giants for them to lash the ball at? Or will a less industrial way of scoring goals re-emerge instead?

However, one alternative table not led by Arsenal is long shots. For goals from outside the box, the Gunners finish third - behind Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

Read more on the alternative Premier League tables

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As Arsenal prepare to take on Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest, Kai Havertz says their tag as underdogs "doesn't matter".

The Gunners go into their meeting with the French champions buoyed by their own title win but given PSG are defending the Champions League crown, they carry the tag of being favourites.

Havertz has already lifted the Champions League, socring the only goal as Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 in Porto to claim their second-ever Champions League title in 2021.

Now, Havertz is hoping to "get that feeling again" when Mikel Arteta's side take to the Puskas Arena on Saturday (17:00 BST).

"For me, there are obviously positive emotions," Havertz said. "I cannot wait to play in that game and bring the trophy home to north London.

"We have a lot of players that have played in big games like this before. Obviously, Kepa [Arrizabalaga] and I played in that final [with Chelsea] and we won it. I can only give the team good memories of myself, so maybe that will help.

"I just cannot wait to be in Budapest and to play in that game.

"Personally, it [the first Champions League title] is something I will never forget. We were the underdogs on that day, for sure. We hadn't had the best season, but obviously it is completely different now [with Arsenal].

"As a kid, I could've never dreamed I would score a goal in a Champions League final and win that game. It is a moment I will never forget, I will always be proud of it.

"I will just try to take that feeling into Saturday and, hopefully, I will get that feeling again."

On whether he believes Arsenal are the "underdogs" against Paris St-Germain, he said: "They won it last year, so they were probably the best team in Europe. They've had an unbelievable season yet again.

"For us, it is the second time this club has made it to the [Champions League] final. We have so much confidence because we have been fighting at the highest level for a couple of years now, and we have finally won the Premier League. I think that gives us a big boost.

"It doesn't matter if you're the underdog or whatever [in these situations]. We are just going to go on the pitch and we are going on it to beat them. We will go for it."