Mikel Arteta was not watching television when Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions. He was in his garden, tending a barbecue, when his eldest son burst through the door in tears to deliver the news.

The Arsenal manager had originally planned to join his players and staff at the training ground to watch Bournemouth hold Manchester City to a 1-1 draw — the result that sent the title to the Emirates Stadium for the first time in 22 years. But Arteta says he felt unable to be present in the right spirit.

"I was supposed to be watching the game with the boys and the staff because that's what they wanted — but I couldn't bring the energy that I wanted," he said.

Arteta slipped away 20 minutes before kick-off and retreated home without switching on a screen.

"I went to the garden, started to build a fire and had a barbecue and I didn't watch any of it. I was just hearing some noises in the living room and suddenly the magic happened."

His eldest son was the one to break the news, sprinting across the garden and embracing him in tears. "My oldest son opened the garden door, started to run towards me, started to cry, gave me a hug, and said: 'We are champions, daddy'," Arteta recalled. His wife and two other sons followed, and within a minute Martin Odegaard was on a video call.

A call to an old friend

After the celebrations, Arteta picked up the phone to Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola — not to send a message, but to speak directly. The two men share deep roots: both grew up in the Basque Country and played together as youngsters at Antiguoko in San Sebastian.

"I called firstly to congratulate him on the incredible job he has done with Bournemouth. I told him he almost took the Premier League away from us — and then helped us to win it," Arteta said.

Iraola is set to leave Bournemouth at the end of the season when his contract expires. Arteta used the call to express his admiration. "I rang him to show my admiration towards him and wish him the best in the next chapter of his career, which I'm sure is going to be very successful," he added.

Eyes on Budapest

Arsenal now have the opportunity to complete a historic double. The club face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final on Sunday, 30 May in Budapest, and Arteta made clear that the title celebrations have already been set aside in favour of preparation.

"We had 48 hours to enjoy the success of winning the league, now we are going to prepare really well," he said. The planned title parade is scheduled for the day after the final, and Arteta has made his ambition clear: "We want to have the parade with two trophies."

With a final Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace still to come before the trip to Budapest, Arteta is determined to keep standards high. "We have six days to write a new history in this football club," he said.