Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly sent a blunt text message to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi following Saturday’s Champions League final, branding Arsenal‘s performance as ‘boring’ after the Gunners fell short in a penalty shootout defeat to the French champions in Budapest.
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Arsenal had sealed Premier League glory earlier this month, finishing seven points clear of Manchester City to claim a title that had eluded the club for 22 years. The prospect of a historic domestic and European double evaporated on the night, though, as PSG came from behind to successfully defend the Champions League crown they won 12 months ago.
Mikel Arteta‘s side started sharply. Kai Havertz broke the deadlock with an emphatic finish in just the sixth minute at Puskas Arena, and the Gunners looked set for a famous win. PSG levelled from the spot through Ousmane Dembele, and when the shootout arrived, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes both missed to hand victory to Luis Enrique‘s side.
According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Manchester United legend Ferguson — a two-time Champions League winner — sent his congratulations to Al-Khelaifi with a pointed assessment of Arsenal‘s display attached.
“Nasser, this is Alex Ferguson. Well done, it was a tough night for you, but you played against a boring team that did nothing but defend. Enjoy your holidays, you deserve it.”
The statistics backed the criticism. Arsenal managed only one shot on target across the full 90 minutes and held just 25 per cent of the possession in Budapest. Questions about the squad’s lack of firepower up front were already circulating before the final; they are now central to the club’s summer agenda.
Jamie Carragher called for reinforcements at centre-forward and on the left wing. Arteta, speaking at his post-match press conference, acknowledged the need for action.
“First of all I will take a few days with my family and then we will start the process to review what we’ve done. We will start to make some very important decisions if we want to reach another level. And we’re going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it, but it’s going to demand to be very, very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”
“I want to congratulate PSG, Luis Enrique in particular, because they are, in my opinion, the best team in the world. What they are able to do with the ball, with individual actions, I haven’t seen it, and it’s not the plan to play in certain areas when you don’t have the ball, but they force you to do that. So, even more credit to the players.”
Despite the pain of the final, Arsenal‘s squad were back in north London on Sunday afternoon for the club’s Premier League title parade. Hundreds of thousands lined the 5.6-mile route through Islington, Highbury, and Canonbury, with the procession departing at 2pm and causing significant disruption on both the London Underground and Overground. The celebrations concluded near the Emirates.
The summer rebuild is already the priority. Follow TipsGG for continued coverage of Arsenal‘s transfer activity and the latest odds ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.