Football Daily - PL Review: Arsenal crowned & West Ham downed

Episode Date: May 24, 2026

Was it a case of too little too late for West Ham? Can Tottenham break the cycle of consecutive 17th place finishes next season under Roberto De Zerbi? And are we set for a period of Arsenal dominance at the top of the Premier League?The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards joins Rick Edwards to discuss all of that and Sunderland’s remarkable return to the topflight, securing Europa League football next season. Matt Jarvis joins us to talk about West Ham’s relegation to the Championship and we hear from the club’s captain Jarrod Bowen. Plus, we’ll hear from Mikel Arteta after Arsenal’s title celebrations at Selhurst Park and Trey Hume after Sunderland’s seventh place finish. TIMECODES: 03:13 – West Ham relegated 06:20 – Jarrod Bowen interview 11:37 – Matt Jarvis joins the pod 16:47 – Tottenham survive 22:32 – Is it time for a period of Arsenal dominance? 22:57 – Mikel Arteta interview 30:42 – Sunderland for Europe 31:30 - Trey Hume interview 35:47 – European football for Bournemouth and Brighton 43:01 – Morgan Gibbs-White unlucky to miss out on the World Cup 44:43 – Premier League Review end of season awards

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For more, check out the global story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. The Football Daily Podcast, Premier League Review, with Rick Edwards. Hello and welcome to the Premier League review. The last of the season, we're going to talk about West Ham's relegation after 14 seasons in the Premier League. Arsenal ended in their 22-year wait to be Premier League champions, Bournemouth, and Brighton securing European football for next season. And we'll give out our end-of-season awards, which we've hastily. thrown together.

With me to do all of that, the Telegras Northern Football writer, Luke Edwards, and no, it is just Luke, actually. Because as you rightly pointed out, on text, it's taken us all season.

But finally, we've managed to scare off all of the pundits. We've broken everyone. It's just me and you, baby. Well done us. We've broken all of them. The cast, you know,

from Clinton and Morrison, gravy shoes, David James, Nigel Rio Coca, we've, Andy Cole, we've broken them all, every single one of them.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, we were really scraping a barrel. We were asking some terrible people, and no one, no one would do it. No, well, it is holiday season. As you know, Rick, it is holiday season. Yeah, I mean, you're currently on holiday, aren't you? Yeah, I'm coming to you from a sun-kissed island in the Mediterranean, looking that nice shade of light pink that English people haven't seen the sun for eight months ago.

Of all people, with respect, you don't feel like someone who tans well. You just don't. No, no. I go, no, I've been sensible, but I have gone, yes, a slight pink in the face, knees, back, shoulders. But yeah, so I'm trying to wind down at the end of the season, but I couldn't, I couldn't not do the final football day Sunday review of the season. And what have you? Mainly because it's just been you on today if I didn't do it.

I mean, some people say might have been an improvement, but anyway, thank you. Thank you for being here. Have I dragged you away from any exciting activities? Are you in an activity hotel? I'm in a very active activity-centered hotel from my son. Sure, for your son. There was an event called the Magic Carpet Challenge yesterday, which you had to try and run across a swimming pool

across an inflatable blue carpet effectively. The kids were doing it. Don't do that to yourself. But the kids were doing it. Yeah, exactly. The clues there. The kids are doing it, not the adults. I thought, I'll give that a go. Did you not only arrive yesterday?

Yes. Straight on it. Straight on to the magic carpet. You're a lunatic. Straight on it. Guess what happened? You stacked it? Yeah, stacked it.

Absolutely face planted and it's caught on video. The thing is, your poor, poor son as well. I know he would have found it funny. Oh, he found it very funny. But he's going to be known as the kid whose dad was that goon.

Yeah. I suppose he's probably going to do that anyway. We're only here for a week. Overall, today had the potential to be quite a good. exciting and ended up being not that exciting. The thing I really want to talk about is Sunderland because I just think what they have done

from where they were at the start of the season or where people thought they were at the start of the season, I think it's absolutely remarkable. But I guess we'll deal with the relegation. So West Ham, two points behind Spurs at the start of the day, 3-0 win against Lees, not enough to secure their safety. Spurs beat Everton 1-0 at home. First, I mean, I think Spurs of any one.

three times at home this season. And West Ham, you just sort of thought, in the first half, I was watching, I was watching both West Ham and Spurs simultaneously. West Ham looked really, they look really nervy. But then second half, you know, they came out and they did what they had to do. But by that point, they already knew

that it probably wasn't going to be enough. And it was, yeah, you just sort of thought this half of football, you just needed to replicate that a lot more often through the rest of the season. Yeah, it's fine doing what you need to do on the last game of the season. I mean, it's doing what you need to do in November, December, January. And I think even the most optimistic of West Ham supporters would have probably known that the writing was on the wall.

I know there was a lot of talk about David Moyes, Everton, you know, doing them a favour because David Moyes, you know, has a lot of affection for West Ham. But Everton didn't really show up particularly against Totham. And West Ham were very good in the second half. and blew a Leeds team away who weren't really playing for anything. So this relegation... But Leeds were going to the first half, actually, I thought. But then they're just...

I mean, they're literally playing for nothing, really. They're playing for nothing. And your second half away from home and you're thinking of your holidays. It's just... It's easy to do that. And this relegation has been coming for West Ham. And we've talked about it in this podcast. You can trace it all back to that decision to get rid of David Moyes

because the football wasn't attractive enough. That seemed to be the main complaint. Yeah. They wasted so much. money. You remember the Declan Rice money. I mean, they got a huge fee for an academy graduate,

pure profit, and blew it, absolutely wasted it. That's a disaster of recruitment. The managerial appointment of Lopo Tegli and Potter didn't work out so they're burnt through managers as well. And it's just been a terribly run

football club for some time, a toxic football club with a divided fan base. No great love of anything to do with the match going experience of going to watch home games. I think there's going to be a lot of reflection. There's going to be a lot of animosity. There's going to be a lot of recriminations coming after this.

I don't think it's that big of a surprise. I mean, that's the most damning thing you can say. They are a poor football team, a badly run football club. And ultimately, this is always the risk you're going to take. And they've fallen out of the Premier League. And, yeah, it's an absolute disaster for them, reputational and financially as well. But it's been coming.

It's been coming. The captain scored the second goal, Jared Bowen. Obviously, he would have been disappointed not to make the England squad. And when he scored the goal, his celebration was, I mean, he looked like he'd just eaten a horrible cake, actually.

He just sort of, you know, that kind of like, just cursory, like fist pump, but he kind of knew it was probably going to be for nothing. Anyway, he's been speaking to Mark Scott. Jared, commiserations, is it any consolation that you at least did what you had to do? I mean, not really because we'd never wanted to be in this situation, of course, coming into the game.

We had to take care of ourselves and hold on to that bit of hope that we had and the chance that we had. That's all we could do. We have positions to get out of it and give ourselves more breathing space, but we didn't. And that was what we were relying on. We were relying on another result. So yes, we had to come and win the game and hold on to that bit of hope that we had before the game. but ultimately it's not enough. I know it's probably quite raw right now,

but can you just tell me what you're feeling, what the players are feeling? Just hurt, speaking from myself, I've been here for six and a half years now. Had a lot of good moments, and this outweighs all of it, you know? I've been getting this club relegated, it's just, it hurts, you know.

And shouldn't be in the position that we're in, but ultimately we found ourselves in the position that we're in, and we haven't done enough to stay up. So the question was, how do you feel? It's just hurt. I think hurts the only thing that you can speak about, you know, what, an hour after the game. 39 points, though.

I mean, it's a big total to go down on any other season. You'd have been comfortable. So that must make it even more painful in a way. Maybe, but, you know, we've had so many games where we could have got so many more results from it. And of course, you can look back and say these, these, these, but ultimately we didn't pick the points up. And in this league, the quality is so high.

And we just didn't give ourselves a good enough chance to do it. There'll be a lot of questions about what comes next. Would you like to see Nuno stay and try and get you back up? Yeah, and listen, it's still very, very raw. And, you know, talking about futures is disrespectful to, you know, the club, the fans, everything like that. This club deserves to be in the Premier League, you know, and that's our aim now. You know, the season's done. Our aim now is get this club back in the Premier League.

That's as simple as it is. Just finally, what's your gut feeling, though? Would you like to be the man to lead them back up as captain? Yeah, like I said, it's disrespectful to everyone to start speaking about about futures and saying what's going to happen. But like I said, I want this club to be in the Premier League. It's a club that means so much to me that's given me so much. So, you know, my vision is getting this club back in the Premier League.

West Ham Captain Jared Bowen there, who will be disappointed to hear that I'm about to be very disrespectful to the club by talking about its future. Luke, is Noonoh going to stick around? It seems to be, yeah. Yeah, I think that that was certainly the message. messages coming out certainly two or three weeks ago that he would stay. Obviously, he's got experience of getting clubs promoted from the championship.

I think he's done an OK job. I think they've paid the price that they started very slowly when he went in. There was right backs playing at left backs and left backs playing at right back and some slightly strange team selections at the start. I think he's then, there's been a bit of an uptick in results. And we were sort of saying not so long ago a month ago that West had the momentum and they had the good feeling behind them. They did. They did. But they did. But then ultimately, you know, there's the, we can talk about the Arsenal goal.

The goal against Arsenal, they get a draw in that game rather than the VAR intervention. I think maybe that was like sticking the pin in the balloon of everybody. But then you go away to Newcastle knowing that Tottenham are away at Chelsea and you don't turn up for 20 minutes and get absolutely steam-rollered by one of the most outperformed teams in the Premierly. stage. I mean, that is unforgivable. And then you get comments like that from football as saying West Ham deserve to be in the Premier League. And I don't have a massive go at Jared Bowen because I think he's probably been one of the rare positives

again for West Ham this season. But they don't deserve to be in the Premier League. That's ultimately it. You can cry about the fact that you're going down with 39 points. Tough. He weren't good enough to get out. I mean, he wasn't crying about that, was he? It wasn't crying. No, but the question was, he was questioned. Do you feel, sorry,

I'm having to go with a journalist now, but you know, the question was, do you feel sort of of hard done by 39 points does that

make it harder? No, it doesn't. You know, Burnley and Wolverhampton have been probably two of the, two of the, the, least impressive sides. more expansive style. Let's be a warning to anybody

it goes down after it. It feels like a lesson, doesn't it? Cautionary tale. Yeah, exactly. But yeah, they should be, you know, there's going to be a big clear out of players. Jared Bowen's future is not certain by any means. I mean, he's on big money there.

He is one of their sellable assets. And the one thing you know when you go into the championship, there will clubs will instantly be looking at them, their squad and see if they can pick over the boat of it and get anything good from the carcass, which Jared Bowen would be one of those players that, you know, obviously. can still play in the Premier League.

So I think they'll be very, very concerned about him going. Somerville, exactly. There'll be a few, but Somerville and Bowen certainly will be two players that I think will be coveted by other Premier League clubs. And unfortunately, West Hamers are going to have to take their medicine. Yeah, they're going to have to take the medicine because their best players now are going to go because the club will need to sell them. Well, let's bring in the former West Haminger, Matt Jarvis,

who's on commentary duty at the London Stadium for us this afternoon. Hey, Matt. Hi, good afternoon. That was, well, in the second half, It was quite good from West Ham, but by that point, I think everyone in the stadium knew that it didn't feel like it was going to be enough. And by the end, the feeling in there was not great, was it? No, I mean, even the first half, it was a nervous first half.

I actually thought Lees, they played really well first off. They did, yeah. They always looked to threat. They were comfortable in possession. West Ham had some. chances, but didn't really, they never really felt like in control. And they got booed off at half time. And then second half, you know, from a, from a corner, they get the goal from Tassie, who's, you know, he's done so well since he's come to the club. And Somerville and Duf on

that left-hand side, we're a great combo all game. They're just, it's that final pass, that final shot at goal. They've, they've really struggled with all season, but they do have spells in games. And I can go back to so many different games across the season where they have spells, where they have 20 minutes and they're really good and they just don't capitalize. But it's fitting that Bowen scores and Callan Wilson as well. Like he's a proper goal scorer

and he's been really, in my opinion, maybe he could have played a little bit more. I was going to say, has he been underused? Because when he came on at half time, you thought, well, yeah, like if I desperately need goals, Callum Wilson feels like a guy to have on the pitch, right?

Yeah, he does. He just gets himself into areas where you know he's going to get opportunities and he takes them. He is a goal scorer and, you know, that's what this West Ham team have been needing. You know, you can then have Tati that can do his running because he brings energy. He brings so much to the team that maybe Callum Wilson maybe couldn't bring, but what he does bring is his goals and that's the finish. And he almost got another one, if not for Adalo, fantastic save. If you can pinpoint one thing that's gone wrong this season, what is it?

Well, I think performances. I don't think they've been good enough at all. You look at the first, what was it, 23 games or something like that, it's just not good enough. Whether that's, you can blame the managers that are there, you can blame the system, you can blame whatever. Ultimately, the players haven't performed on the pitch for whoever or whatever has been asked. And when you talk about it and you go through, the 39 points, this, that, you know, ultimately, wherever you finish is where you deserve to finish. and they just haven't been able to be good enough this year. Everyone can go through about injuries, everyone can go through about unfair decisions.

But unfortunately, it just wasn't enough this year. And last year you could look at it and go, probably got away with it, really. So this year it's just been a disaster start and then it's been really difficult to gain momentum. And I think you can go back in loads of games and just think, really, do you think, if that was like the last game of seed and needed something,

you could probably get something out of it. And everything's just gone past far too easily. Is there now a danger, Matt, that West Ham go down, as we were just discussing, there's probably going to be a bit of an exodus of players because they're going to need to sell some and there's going to be, you know, a handful of players who definitely will want to stay in the Premier League

and could play a part in the Premier League. So you have that. then you have that stadium which let's face it the fans don't like huge stadium in the championship I don't know if they're necessarily going to fill it in the championship

it's not felt great at times in the Premier League I suspect it's not going to feel great in the championship either and actually West Ham really struggled next season there I mean it's definitely a possibility you know there's quite a number of players

that will be wanting to leave I think Fernandez has who's been one of their best players all season. You know, even today, you know, just even when they're two new up, he's sprinting back into the corner flag and making a last ditch challenge and, you know, he's another player that will probably leave. Somerville's obviously been injured for a long period and he was a massive miss because

when he's playing and when he's on form, he's another player that will be gone. So it is going to be a big clear out. And as everyone knows, the championship is not an easy league. It is not as simple as just coming straight back up. and it's going to be, you know, is Noon still going to be here? Is, you know, then you look at what, yeah, if you've got to sell all of these players, you've got to bring in players and you've got to have a squad that's good enough to compete. And that's, that's going to be the tricky part.

And the recruitment is key. And as you mentioned earlier, I think recruitment has not been, yeah, yeah, it's not been their top, top thing. Good speaking to you. Cheers, Matt. Thank you. From a West Ham. winger Matt Jarvis there who was at the London

Stadium earlier so let's talk about Spurs then I was my family all from Tottenham so I was baiting my uncle and customers who were of course you were Rick just saying of a lovely come on you iron just before

kick off and said sorry wrong person which they laughed but honestly Spurs were good like particularly in the first half that they were really the the atmosphere And you're never quite sure with Spurs. The atmosphere was really good.

Fans were positive. And partly buoyed by the fact that the team were going out and looked, you know, looked strong and looked sort of front foot. And then they get the goal, scrappy goal. But the emotion, the emotion that poured out, I mean, of course, because it's a massive goal. But, you know, it meant an awful lot. I'll tell you what.

The fans at Tottenham have really, really played their part. in this recovery because I think Well they've got behind Dzerbe they're like okay this guy yes they've been put through a lot they didn't like Frank they didn't like Chudor

and I think they just got to a point but they realised not sure of Tudor likes anyone Igor Tudor I mean that there's someone who needs to write a book on his spell at Toplin it wouldn't be many pages

but it'll be interesting I think but they've been through a lot and I think there was a lot of discontiment and anger and I think last season took its toll on them as well despite winning the Europa League, a fantastic European trophy for them, but Poster Coaglu going, and they've been on this downward spiral,

and then Thomas Frank came in, and they didn't like the football, and it was all a bit average, wasn't it, basically, under Thomas Frank, and they sort of got dragged into the relegation battle. And then there was so much sort of anger around the football club, but then suddenly, I think when they realised how much trouble they were in, I think the supporters were absolutely brilliant. I think they just thought, like, we've got to forget all of that. We've got to forget all our anger, and, and,

and sort of poison towards people who are running the clubs and the decision-making. We've just got to get behind the team. And you know what? That really fired, I think, Tottenham to survival. And we have to say Deserby, because you mocked him, Rick. You mocked him, as you tend to do on this podcast. He didn't quite win all five games. No.

As you know, he wasn't actually a man of his word, but he came pretty close. He did. And he, in a very, very short period of time, I think he changed the atmosphere in the dressing room. I think he got very quickly to grips to what the team needed and they improved very, very quickly but none of it would have been possible without the supporters saying,

you know what, this isn't the time for division we've got to be unified and they were brilliant. The atmosphere today was absolutely superb. It has been in the last few home games and they've managed to get out of trouble. Now the worry for Topham is this is a scare but they can't be here again.

That's two seasons in a row where they have been the biggest underachievers in my opinion in the Premier League with the budgets they have. 17 of 2 seasons in a row I don't know if they need to sort of reframe their expectations but I suspect they don't

I think they just don't have this again Rick you can't have this again because we've seen with West Ham this direction of travel was coming this relegation was coming well if you finish 172 seasons in a row and everyone can't just assume at Tottenham oh it's all right we'll get it right we've got to deserve being now we're going to be fine

we're going to be back and beating for Europe they might not be I mean I think this has to be the catalyst for something They have to get this summer right. It's obvious that squad needs a rebuild. It needs rejuvenating. They're going to have to move players out, and they're going to have to reinvent themselves.

Dzerbe is a very good manager, but he's also very, very demanding. And if he doesn't get what he wants. And a bit volatile. Yes, he's an emotional man. Which I like. Well, I'm not going to say that, but he's emotional. And if he doesn't get what he wants,

he will kick off. And that, if this summer goes badly, then the whole negativity could very, very quickly restallel start at the beginning of August if he hasn't got the players he wants. So they've gone for a hot-headed manager, a very talented one, but they have to get the players he wants this summer to not be in this situation again, because the last thing you want is an unhappy deserby,

an angry deserby going into the start of the season, and then to say that negative atmosphere could easily spill over. But I think they've got a good manager, he's just high maintenance. A bit like me on this podcast. Well, half so, yes. So Tottenham, I'd let you decide which half. Tottenham's three home wins this season is the joint fewest by a team's

survive relegation in a Premier League campaign along with any ideas? You never get this actually. No, don't even start. Hull. Of course they're back. 08.09. Who are back after beating Middlesbrough in the playoff final on Saturday. Olly McBurney popping up with a goal.

The two worst teams, Burnley and Wolves, to decide, once of all, who were the worst team in the league this season. and it sort of feels fitting somehow that neither of them won. But wolves do ultimately finish bottom as we sort of thought they would from the very start of the season because they've been absolutely dreadful. 30 years after two civilian airplanes were shot down, why is the US government now bringing charges against the former Cuban president, Raul Castro?

I'm Asma Khalid and I host the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Cuba's government is calling this all a political maneuver. but the Cuban exile community in Miami calls it justice, 30 years in the making. Is the U.S. setting the stage for a military intervention? For more, check out the global story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Five lives, folks. So here's the first ball of this series. All the cricket you laugh.

Shagrelby-dove. Lives on BBC sounds. Smash straight back down the ground. This girl. Here, ball-by-ball coverage of the biggest competitions on the domestic and international circuits. Four, three, and it's the huge one. Chish, woosh. Settled out of it.

Cricket on Five Live Sport. Oh, blibing every ball of this. Listen on BBC Sounds. On the Football Daily podcast, Premier League Review, with Rick Edwards. As I was cycling into the studio today, I was cycling through North London. There was a lot of Arsenal shirts out, and there was a lot of very, very jubilant, and jubilant scenes around in the sunshine. And it was basically just a coronation at Palace.

They'd already, obviously, they'd won the title. They won 2-1 at Selehurst Park. Didn't really matter. Let's hear from Mikhail Artata. It's an incredible moment. And yeah, what a joy and how, I think, privileged we are to be able to go through this together. I think you can sense something special

because I think the manner that we've done it, it's a special. And it's been a journey full of moments, full of difficulties, through those challenges. But this is the beauty of a sport, that when you persevere, when you keep working, when you have faith in the people around you, at the end, good things can happen. You did come under immense pressure, didn't you? And the defeat at Manchester City, as it turned out, you won the next five matches. You know, you responded to the pressure, didn't you?

think tip the balance to get you to where you are now with that medal around your neck? I think we have shown an incredible capacity to connect with people and between them and generate a very special energy around the team. I think we have shown an incredible commitment as well because in tough times it's where you see how people are made and we have a very clear purpose. We stick to it and then courage because there are moments that is not easy. And you said, What about if we don't do it as well? And you really have to step forward and take responsibility, be accountable and deliver.

And what the players have done is just incredible. Can I just say, well done, Mikhail Artetta. Yes. I mean, I think we have to. I think we absolutely have to. We have to. Yeah, we do have to. Some of us stuck with them all season.

Some people, you know, prominent broadcasters, pundits myself, you know, stuck with them, said Arsenal would win the league. But, you know, I had a little wobble. Everybody had a little wobble. I think every Arsenal had a little bit of a wobble. Yeah, they had a major wobble when everything got a bit tense. But they fought through that. Now, I've heard some people say that they think this will be a period of Arsenal dominance in the Premier League.

I don't think it's going to be that. I really don't. But first Premier League title in 22 years, Mikhail Arteza has proven himself to be an excellent manager for that football club. And I think, I just, you know, they deserve it. And if that means they can wear their replica shirts in North London on a hot. summer's day in May. They can. Good on them.

They can. If you can't wear them after winning the title, when can you wear them? I think it might be at the start of a period of dominance. Oh, do you? Well, look at the teams around them.

City without Pep. Who knows? Like, obviously, City have got some phenomenally good players, but Pep Guardiota is probably the greatest, well, he's certainly one of the greatest managers of all time. Losing him, he's going to have an impact.

Liverpool with slot. So, you know, they could be terrible. Liverpool is slot, I don't think, are going to be troubling me at the top of the table, frankly. Chelsea under Alonzo, I mean, Chelsea have had a miserable, miserable end to the season. And, I mean, Alonzo has done very well in Germany, had a really tough time at Real Madrid. I don't think anyone quite knows. Manchester United under Michael Carrick, I mean, Obviously, did enough to get the job.

I don't know. Does Bruno Fernandis have another season this good? Maybe you're talking me around, actually, Rick. I just, like, well, where else are the challenges? Like, I don't know. There's no obvious. Liverpool can't be as bad. Liverpool can't be as bad.

They're not far away Liverpool. Manchester City has still got a brilliant squad. I don't think, I've watched, I think, almost every, I didn't watch Liverpool's game today, actually, because what's the point, other than, saying goodbye to Sala, and I need to watch the other games. Liverpool had been atrocious this season.

You might make a valid point, actually. You're saying because of the weakness of the other clubs. Yeah, yeah, not necessarily. I think although all season, pretty much all season, we have said, you look at Arsenal's squad, and that is the best squad in the league, and they should win it, and they have. And fair place, though.

And I think the likelihood is that going into the next season, they would also have the best squad. But we also thought with Liverpool. And arguably the best manager as well. But we thought this about Liverpool 12 months ago. So we thought Liverpool. Oh my God, they've won the Premier League title. They're brilliant.

Oh my word. Look at the summer business they've done. True. True. True. It's a long way off. There's a lot of twisted. I think I suppose.

But Arsenal are going to lose a load of players, are they? No. And they're playing with that kind of less pressure and that they've got the title done. So maybe it spills into one. I think Manchester City will be fascinating in the post-pet world. because, you know, we all thought Liverpool would suffer in the post-Clop world, but they ended up winning the league as soon as Klop left.

But then you look at Manchester United and you would compare more readily, Guardiola's influence at Manchester City to Ferguson's, you know, influence and legacy at Manchester United. So Manchester City remained the richest club in the country. The new manager will once again be backed this summer, and they haven't missed out by that much this season. I mean, they still won both domestic cups. and have just fallen short of.

So I think Manchester City is really, really interesting. I think, you know, we shouldn't be talking about it at the end of this podcast because we're talking about it at the start of August. I think next season's Premier League could be frillingly unpredictable in terms of the title. I mean, Manchester City finished on 78 points. That is not very impressive, is it? For them. Well, it's not, is it?

All right. Well, you know, okay. They haven't won the Premier League for two years. Time for Pepto-go. It's a good thing you walk before we got that. Off your go, mate. Can Arsenal beat PSG? Yes.

Yes. Yes. Anything's possible. Yeah. Best defence versus best attack. Yes. I would. You think Arsenal, you make Arsenal favourite.

I seriously think Arsenal could beat PSG. It's best defence versus best attack. Do you think they will, though? I'm going to say yes. I tipped Arsenal to win the Premier League title. I'm going to tip them to win the Champions League. Yeah. Why not? I mean, it's a big order.

I mean, PSG are probably the best team, certainly the most attractive team to watch. And they don't like how hearing this, but they have a far easier domestic competition where they can rest lots of players so that they're all nice and fresh for the knockout rounds of the Champions League. But I just think Arsenal, having won the league, I think they are a far, I think they're massively underrated team Arsenal in terms of how good they are. And I think they can nullify most teams. Well, that's the thing. That defensive solidity is, you know, you can kind of,

you can laugh about the fact they score from corners a lot and blah, blah, blah, blah. But fundamentally that team is built on they just don't concede goals. And they've got a brilliant goalkeeper. So I think in a one-off game, in a one-off game, Champions League final, of course they can do it. Yeah, absolutely. Is it Moreska, you reckon, for City? It certainly seems to be, given that he told Chelsea he was talking to.

Manchester City in December, which is one of the recent ways, as well as basically saying he didn't want the job. He also told them, I'm talking to one of our direct rivals in the Premier League about taking over for the... Any good to you? Yeah. Do you want to find me now?

Shall I go now? No, is that all right if I just go and talk to Man City? Or do you want me to pack my bags? Right, okay, brilliant. Yeah, I would be very surprised if it wasn't Mariska. If you look at the managerial market in terms of who's available, Arial is the curveball, isn't he? he is available this summer

but no I think all of the chat seems to be it'll be Moreska who's obviously been assistant in the city before so well known to the city group executives well let's let's talk about the European places then and what I really wanted to talk about at the start which is

Bournemouth and Sunderland have secured Europa League football Brighton will be in the conference league Brentford and Chelsea both miss out and Sunderland I just think it felt like most people thought well Sunderland will go down.

Absolutely. I really do. And they have defied expectations in the most extraordinary way. When was the last time that a newly promoted team finished that high? I don't know. It's Ipswich. It's Ipswich in the early noughties under George Burley.

It's a phenomenal, phenomenal achievement. And we've actually, We can hear from Sunderland's Trey Hume. I think, you know, coming up at the start of the season, I don't think, you know, anyone even given us a chance to stay up, never mind, you know, do what we've done

and, you know, it's full credit to the owner and the staff, the players they've brought in, the players they kept. And, you know, the way we've worked every single day, we've worked our socks off. And, you know, I think we fully deserve that. And, you know, especially I mention to the fans, you know, the heartbeat of the club.

And, you know, they've been through you a lot of tough times and they deserve this most. moment they do. You really set about Chelsea from the off. There was a real confidence about your team. No, that comes from us as players. We work, like I said, we work really hard throughout the week and the fans if you didn't see them

when we were coming into the stadium, you know, it's absolutely amazing and they give us that extra boost to go in there and get after teams and this is their home, if never mind ours and we just go out there and work our socks off for them. Grant Shacker was on the pitch after the game and just saying you know, thank you so much to the supporters,

saying this is the beginning, we want more, enjoy the moment. He has to be one of the shouts for signing of the season, doesn't he? Yeah, absolutely. And he's like a manager on the pitch as well. It's sort of been talked about at length, but he really is. I mean, he drives standards in training. You talk to anybody at Sunderland, and Granite Zacker will come up in conversation about how important he is.

And it's not just that he remains a really good player, by the way, a fantastic player. But it's the influence he has on that dressing room. He is Reggie's Librisis. In the same way, Roy Keen probably was at Manchester United under Ferguson. He is the manager on the pitch. If you watch Sunderland play, he will be issuing instructions

to defenders to forwards. He'll be telling the attacking players which runs to make. He'll be telling the defenders which positions to take. And so in terms of impact as a signing, he's right up there. Probably had more impact on the football club than anyone else. So it's just a brilliant story for Sunderland because you have to remember, they

to go to their lowest ebb. You know, they were in League 1. They had their lowest ever league finishing league 1. They were in League 1 for several years. They came up through the playoffs. And it was a really dark time. It was a figure of fun football club.

It was a Netflix documentary and nothing else. It was stripped right back to the bare bones. I love that documentary so much though. So good. It was a great documentary. And I think a lot of some of the supporters liked it, but they were a figure of fun. They were a source of entertainment

for all the wrong reasons. And actually that takes its toll on a fact. band base after a while and they're a big passionate fan base, big club in the north-east of England, football mad part of the world. They came up via the playoffs again in the championship. Like you said, after, you know, two years of all three promoted teams being relegated, they were tipped to go down and the job that Regis Lebris has done is phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. They completely rebuilt the team. We talk about clubs getting recruitment wrong. So we talk about West Ham's relegation being because of their terrible recruitment over a sustained period of time.

Sundland got their recruitment absolutely bang on they shopped around Europe they brought back to the Premier League but they brought young hungry players but they mix them with experience as well and that actually is an incredibly difficult thing to gel in one pre-season but they started the season well

and then they've got the most powerful thing that you could have particularly with the North East clubs when you have the momentum when you have the synergy between the fan base and the football club and the city they are never more powerful This is Sunderland's greatest season in a generation. It's their greatest season since Peter Reid was manager.

That's how long ago that it is. And they are playing in European football for only the second time in their club's history. And it's the Europa League. They've thought about maybe the Conference League. It's going to be the Europa League. So this makes all of that misery that they had in League 1. All that time they spent being laughed at and mocked, not least by the neighbours at Newcastle.

This makes it all worthwhile. And this is why I love football. And this is why we all hang in there year after year, all through the misery, all through the embarrassment, all through the when you just turn up and it's a chore, you hang in there for seasons like this. And this is exactly what Sondland has got. And I'm absolutely delighted for them.

I really am. And I know how much that will mean to everybody at Sunderland and the Football Club, but more importantly, the city as well. And it means I'll be back in Europe next season, covering them, so that's nice. Oh, well, that's fantastic news for everyone. And sort of a parting gift of Europa League football

to Bournemouth from Andoni, Iroola, who is another one. who's done a sensationally good job at Bournemouth and will be, well we know, is a highly, highly sought-after coach, and rightly so. Yeah, and isn't it just brilliant? Look at those three teams you read out, Rick. Sunderland, Bournemouth, Brighton are playing in Europe.

Now, that's so important for English football because it just gives you hope. It allows everybody to dream. If you're a Wolverhampton Wanderer supporter now, feeling really, really low, because you've had a miserable season. Shout out my dad. Yeah.

Rick's dad, but you just don't know. There's always that chance that you can turn things around, get things right, and we need to have those stories. You know, you go back to Wimbledon in the 1980s coming through the leagues and having that period where, you know, the one in the FA Cup. You just need that. You need those examples to follow.

And Bournemouth incredible model. You've done well, not to mention Lester there, by the way. Well, I've done well, well, of course, Lester. Well, of course, Leicester. But, you know, they've gone the other way. They're having the rough side of the coin now, aren't they? They've had their moment in the sun, and now they're in League 1

but they are where Sunderland were so not so long ago so it's great and Bournemouth to answer your question Iriola lost his entire back four lost some ennio in January they play some of the most exciting pleasant on the easy on the eye

sorry football in the league and what's a story that is as well because they were in league tot not so long ago they are this generation's Wimbledon in fact will they without Iriola will they be able to hold on to

they've got some really, really good young players and there are categorically, again, going to be teams sniffing around. Now, given Europa League football, given that they're increasing the capacity, the direction of travel is great for Bournemouth, but Iriola must have been such a draw for players. And without him, does it make it that little bit harder

to hang on to players? Whether it makes it harder, I don't know, Rick, because I tell you the one thing in football that talks louder than anything. You can love your manager to bit, right? But if someone offers to double or triple your wages, and that is where Bournemouth are always going to be vulnerable, because they will have players that are coveted this summer.

You can't keep selling your best players and succeeding. I know Brighton and Bournemouth have both done it brilliantly. I think there will be a dip for Bournemouth next season. I don't want to talk in a negative light, but Junior Crupy, Alex Scott. Alex Scott, I know, for fact, he was in a lot of top clubs shortlists this summer. Crewie will be as well, but they are brilliant sellers. And I think Bournemouth know, they know when they sign these players.

They're quite open about it. They know they will sell them. There will come a point where they have to sell them. But they can also charge absolute top whack for those players. Because Semenio's gone to Manchester City has succeeded. So, you know, it is a great stepping stone club. They all already know, even if they celebrate European football, they will already know that they'll probably lose two at least this summer,

but there will be a plan to replace them. And that's the difference between well-run football clubs and badly run football clubs. Will Brighton be disappointed to miss out on Europa League, do you think? Yes, yes, because it's, you know, it's great for them to be in Europe, but they have been in Europe before in the not-so-distant past. Herlitzer was under pressure and there were calls for him to be sacked a bad, like they had such a bad patch.

So did Bournemouth. That was incredible. Bournemouth and Brighton both had really bad spells this season and obviously stuck with the managers. I think they will be disappointed just in the manner it happened because it was in their own hands going into the final game this season and then you get pumped by your favourite club Manchester United. There will be disappointment and actually the financial difference

between the Conference League and the Europa League is quite sizeable. But as Crystal Palace have shown this season, Brighton haven't won a major trophy. So that would be great for them. They've got a real chance of winning silverware

and it is, whether you deride it or not, it is a major trophy. So I think there'll be a little bit of frustration, but I also think there'll be immense satisfaction because of that difficult spell you've mentioned, Rick, the fact that they have still, you know, recovered and got into Europe. And have put some pretty big clubs

finished above them and outperform them over the course of the season. So again, Brighton, brilliantly run football club have been for a number of years. So from a brilliantly run football club to a basket case of a football club, Chelsea, who've had such a horrible, horrible end to the end of the season. No European football next season.

I guess that may, in the way that it potentially helped Michael Carrick, Maybe that helps Shabby Alonzo when he comes in. I don't know. One thing that is very clear is that, and we spoke about this more towards the start of the season, but it really said again, they've got a discipline problem. An eighth Premier League red card in their defeats of Sunderland today.

Yes. I don't think that's a good dressing room, Rick. I think we've got a body of evidence now to prove that it's not. I think some of that comes down from the way that these players are recruited and the length of contracts they're in. I think some of it comes down to the churn of managers and the fact that these players think they can outlast managers. I think that, Elonzo, that is the first thing he's got to get to grips with when he comes in.

Not the disciplinary problems as such. Just what I mean is the dressing room as a whole that he's got, and I think you're right, I think playing one game a week will help them. But let's not forget, they're the World Club Champions, Rick. club champions to a team that does not qualify for Europe. I had forgotten that, actually. But then you can also look at that involvement in that tournament. As we all warned about it, we all said at the time, anyone who knows anything about

fitness conditioning in football. They're playing too much football. These players are going to be burnt out this season. You look at Cold Palmer's season, for example, and compare the player from last season to the one who's just been left out of the England squad. I think fatigue does come into it. So that offers mitigating circumstances. Of course it does.

But Chelsea are a mess. Their recruitment has been a mess. And I think Alonzo needs to get to grips with the dressing room. But he also, I think they have to be true to the word and they have to move away from this desire to hoover up some of the best young players on long contracts in Europe. And they need to add a bit of experience to that dressing room. And I think they need some leaders on the pitch.

They need a granite zacker. I don't think they're going to get a granite zacker, precisely. But that's the sort of personalities they need in that dressing room, I think. And I think he will benefit from the fact they're not playing. in Europe, of course he will. But this has been an unacceptably bad season for Chelsea. And they only have, again, a bit like West Ham, they only have themselves to blame.

The real blame lies with the board rather than the board leading the direction of the whole football club. On the subject of the England squad, briefly before we move on to our end-of-season awards, which I'm excited about, Morgan Gibbs White didn't make the England squad, which I think it's a travesty.

He scored. in the one-old draw with Bournemouth today for Forrest. He's scored 18 goals this season. I don't know what that guy had to do to get in. Noni Madweke went off injured for Arsenal. I wonder if that is a little opportunity for him. I mean, it should be, shouldn't it? Yeah, he should be next cab off the rank I would have thought.

And worth noting, Morgan Gibbs White didn't moan, didn't complain, didn't get his mum to moan about his decision not to pick him in the evening squad. Unlike Harry McGuire, Morgan Gibbs White didn't go around to do a load of media interviews complaining about how good he would have been and how he should be in the squad. Now, Morgan Gibbs White has done exactly what he should have done. He's kept his own counsel. He's hidden his disappointment. He's internalised it.

And now, sure enough, if Mario Ake is missing, I would think Morgan Gibbs White would get in there because of his versatility. Thomas Tuchel has talked a lot about wanting good characters and good squad members. And by that, I mean people are going to go away from home for seven or eight weeks and live in a hotel who might not be playing, who are not going to be the bad apple in the bunch. So I think Morgan Gibbs White would have a definite chance. And he's 18 goals, wonderful in the league. But he's versatility. And he's captain of Nottingham Forest, which probably tells you a little bit about his character as well. So I think he might be well getting a call if Madiwakey's injury as bad as it looked.

Right. Let's do our end of season awards then. So we'll rattle through these. Player of the year? I voted for in the FWA Bruno Fernandez, so I'm going to stick with that. I've broken the assist record. I know people are mocking the assist record,

but when you look at the players, he's beaten to this record, I think it's pretty phenomenal. And I just don't think Manchester United would have had anything like the same season they have done if he hadn't have been there all year. Yeah, I think that's it. I think I've just about gone for him as well.

It's either him or actually. Who's your other? Well, two others actually. Granite Shacker, who we've already talked about. Yes. And Maughan Gibbs White, who we've just spoken about. The other two players who I think have been so instrumental in their club's seasons in different ways. David Rea?

Actually, do you know what? Oh, that's a really good shout. Can I change mine? It's a good shout, isn't it? Can I change mine? Well, I mean, you're the host of the podcast. So, yeah, I've changed mine to David Raya, who had. been exquisitely good.

I mean, by far the best goalkeeper in the league. Okay, manager of the year, I've got three written down here. Oh, you've got a short list? Yeah, go on, guess my three. Mikhail Artetta? Yeah. Keith Andrews?

No. Reggie de Brise? Yes. Ariola. Yes. I think he's Iriola. Ariola is a different thing. thing, isn't it?

And I would go for... Do you know what? I think I would go for Artetta, which I know it's a bit root one, but he really had to do it and he did do it. Okay, that's a fair shout. It's a fair shout.

So my three would have been Artetta, Andrews and Libreys, and I'm going to go for Reggie's Libreis because to get your team promoted in your first season and then give them their best season in a generation in the Premier League in your second

gives him the nod for me. Overachievers of the year. This is pretty clearly Sunderland, isn't it? Yeah, we'd agree on Sunderland, absolutely. Underachievers, well, I've got a shortlist of three. Liverpool, absolute dross. Chelsea, awful. Yes.

And although they just did narrowly escape relegation, spurs. I can't disagree. We've been spending too much time together, Rick. This is what happens now. We get group think. because I absolutely 100% gruevy and I think I would probably

go with, as funny as it is for me to pick Liverpool, I'm going to go with Tottenham because they have the six highest wage bill in the league and they have finished 17th for the second three in a row. I think,

and I don't know if this is because I'm a fan, I think I would go Liverpool just because I remember so keenly the feeling before the first game of the season

that we were going to absolutely walk this title. You were very giddy and you were very giddy even when you were playing badly all the way through Hawkins and September. It's going to come good.

It's going to come good. It's going to. I wasn't giddy in the sense I was saying, oh no, we're playing well. I was like, we are looking quite bad at the moment, but I assume it will come good. And it never did. And I think it's been really, really poor.

Okay. Well, I'll go Totten and you go Liverpool. Yeah, fine. Lucky it's game for Chelsea there, I think. And finally, then, moment of the, year? The moment of this podcast was me recording it. Sorry, I'm going to bring up Alexander Isak again. If you remember, I recorded a podcast and we do them sort of early evening on a Sunday where I said Alexander Isak was definitely staying. I do. Of course, remember this.

And then switched on my phone after it had been recorded. Yeah. And found out from someone very reliable, but in actual fact, he was going to be sold. And then having that sort of cold sweat feeling going to go, the BBC are going to put out this podcast. And it's going to be there for everybody to listen to you tomorrow with me saying that Alexander Isak is going nowhere. And he'd been sold pretty much while I was recording the podcast. So that was a great moment. Moment of the year, I think it would have to be a pretty obvious choice, but Arsenal winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years,

all of that emotion, all of that tension, all of that stress, and coming through it and doing it. Yeah, I think that's my Premier League moment this season. I think ultimately that is what this season would be remembered for the most. I am going, it's sort of related to that. And it's just a really specific moment, within Arsenal's title winning season, which is the City fan with the Arsenal bottle.

Because it's given me so much joy because obviously that in itself was amazing. And then the memes that have subsequently come out that all of the Arsenal players have been absolutely loving. So him mocked up to look like a bottle with the bottle cap in his head. It's just, I'm a sucker for that stuff. It's so brilliant.

That is so, the performative nature of it all. Yeah, it was. The coding and how happy he was to have like, you know, get his attention for doing it. It's perfect. It's so happy with himself. It's just perfect. To do that.

Yeah, it's calmer, isn't it? And they get completely mugged off. For the rest. And mocked by a, like, this doesn't happen very often, where a specific fan is getting mocked. by a load of professional footballers from other team. It's the world we live in though, isn't it? It's a fantastic world.

It's a world I don't fully understand, but you're right, that is absolutely brilliant. I hope the poor guy has some good people around him because he's going to need them this summer. Oh, bore off. Who cares? Thank you. Thank you very much. Luke for a largely enjoyable season, I'd say.

Yeah, I think largely. I think we've bickered, we've fought. But in the main, I think we've entertained each other and I hope we've entertained our growing number of listeners as well. I'm not sure I've heard anything about a growing number of listeners, but okay, I mean, the disappointing thing is, as you said, we do appear to be sort of synchronising with our opinions, which is very disappointed.

We need to have a look at that for next season. Right, Crystal Palace and Arsenal still have European finals this week. Palace in the Conference League final on Wednesday night, Arsenal against PSG and the Champions League final on Saturday, all on five live. That is it for the Premier League. review this season. I'm going to be back throughout the World Cup actually with Lloyd Griffith to bring you daily reaction from the United

States. So join us for that. The Monday Night Club will be your next episode of Football Daily. Thanks for listening. Five Live Sports. BBC Women's Football Weekly. The latest news, insights and analysis from across the women's game. Dame Serena Vigman.

Are we including Dame in your title now? You know how much an honour that is? I'm this, Red. You want to play in a way, they can show their skills. So that's what we're trying to do. Win the World Cup. It's a dream.

Listen. With the BBC Sounds app. 30 years after two civilian airplanes were shot down, why is the U.S. government now bringing charges against the former Cuban president, Raul Castro? I'm Asma Khalid, and I host the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Cuba's government is calling this all a political maneuver. But the Cuban exile community in Miami calls it justice, 30 years in the making.

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