BBC – Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Sunday’s final Premier League game of the season, against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park (16:00 BST).

It is also the first time he has spoken since Manchester City‘s draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday confirmed the Gunners as Premier League winners.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Asked how it sounds to be able to say Arsenal are Premier League champions, the Spaniard said: “It’s incredible to hear those words, especially when you consider the journey they’ve been on, the manner that we’ve done it, and how many people have been involved and waiting so long to complete that goal.”
• Arteta was asked to summarise how he experienced Tuesday evening: “You don’t realise it. It’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. I was supposed to be here at Colney watching the game with the boys but I couldn’t. I had to leave, I couldn’t bring the energy that I wanted. I think it was the moment to watch it together themselves. I went home, I went out to the garden, did a barbecue and didn’t watch any of it. I heard some noises from the living room and suddenly the magic happened. It was beautiful to see the joy on my family’s faces.”
• More on the players watching the game together and the celebrations that followed: “It was the team’s moment. They had to be themselves. If I’m there, I don’t think it would have been the same. I think they enjoyed it. We had our moment together a few hours later in London.”
• On the challenge posed by City and Guardiola: “They have been a huge part of the journey and Pep has been a huge part of the journey. I started my coaching career with him. They continue to raise the standards to crazy levels in the league. We are obligated to raise those levels and those standards to better than this. This time, thankfully, we managed to win it.”
• On the scenes of celebration outside Emirates Stadium on Tuesday: “It was an emotional explosion because everyone has been keeping those emotions and not been quite able to really express them. When we opened that bottle, I think everybody had so much to feel and it was incredible to witness.”
• Asked if he had spoken to Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola to thank him, Arteta said: “I called him yesterday to congratulate him for the incredible job he has done with Bournemouth. I said you almost took the Premier League away from us and now you help us to win it! A quick call to say thank you, show my admiration towards him and wish him best for the next step in his career.”
• On who has called him since winning the title: “Your phone is a bit different when you finish second and when you win it! That’s sport. It’s a big lesson in life as well because the margins are so small – it can go either way. When you accomplish it, you realise how immense it is, how big it is for so many people. All of the things I have seen from our supporters in different countries is so good.”
• Arteta provided a fitness update on Mikel Merino and Jurrien Timber: “Mikel is going to start to train with the group tomorrow – today he’s done a little bit. It was just a light session. Let’s hope Jurrien can do the same in the next couple of days, but he is a little bit behind Mikel at the moment.”