Arsenal warned key players could lose patience with trophy failures as ex-Gunners captain insists 'excuses' are running out

William Gallas issued a warning to his former club Arsenal that key players could lose patience if their trophy drought continues.

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• Gallas issued a warning to Arsenal
• Gunners told to end trophy drought
• Lost out on Premier League title race third season in a row

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mikel Arteta's Arsenal fell well short in their hunt to win the Premier League title for the third straight season as they finished second to eventual champions Liverpool. The club also had a promising run in the Champions League as they beat Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals, but they lost to Paris Saint-Germain, who went on to lift the trophy.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gallas, who spent four years with the Gunners, feels that the club must start winning titles from the 2025-26 campaign if they want to hold on to their star players, as they might grow impatient with the trophy drought. Since Arteta joined the north London club in 2019, they have won one FA Cup and two Community Shields.

• WHAT WILLIAM GALLAS SAID

  Speaking to , Gallas said: "How many more years will the players wait? Two years ago, they were so close. Last year, close again. This year it didn’t happen again, and they actually fell back a little, they got worse. They were perhaps focusing too much on another thing or looking to the next campaign again. The problem is always the same with Arsenal. They need the right players. They can’t always have excuses, blaming one player or another being injured. That happens every year, it’s not a new problem, it doesn’t only happen to them. So they need a big squad, and to do that you actually have to buy quality players. When you have a big squad full of talent, things are different.

  "It’s difficult to manage a squad like that, so the question is whether Arteta has the skill to do it. But even if they buy a striker, they’re still vulnerable if Bukayo Saka is injured, because there’s nobody who can step in with international experience. Someone who might be a different type of player but who is still effective. They’re short in more areas than just the striker. Even at the back, they’re a bit short if they want to be confident of a title challenge."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  The Gunners will reassemble in late July and are scheduled to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong for their pre-season tour.