‘My Pocket Was Empty’—William Saliba Makes Emotional Trophy Admission

Arsenal are hoping to make history this season by chasing the Quadruple.

William Saliba has never won a major trophy with Arsenal. | Robin Jones/Getty Images

William Saliba has admitted that finishing season after season without a trophy to show for it has left him “tired”, but equally offers additional motivation as Arsenal have an unprecedented Quadruple within reach.

In the quest for a first Premier League title since 2003–04, Arsenal have finished runners-up in each of the last three seasons—behind Manchester City (twice) and Liverpool.

The club’s most recent major trophy of any kind came just a few months into Mikel Arteta’s reign in the shape of the 2019–20 FA Cup. The Spaniard counts more recent Community Shields won in 2020 and 2023 in his silverware tally, although few others recognise that competition in the same way.

Since Saliba became an established first-team player in the summer of 2022, the Gunners have reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals twice—including this season, and the Champions League semi-finals once. They haven’t been beyond the fourth round of the FA Cup since last winning it.

“I’m tired to finish the season with nothing in my pocket, so now we have four competitions to win,” Saliba told reporters this week, having beaten Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg to move within 90 minutes of a first major cup final in six years.

“My pocket was empty last year and now we want to win everything … Carabao, FA Cup, Champions League, Premier League,” he said. “Of course, it’s not easy to say it but we want to prove it on the pitch and we will give everything to win every title.”

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Arsenal’s Quest to Win Unprecedented Quadruple

No team in the history of English football has ever completed a Quadruple, made up of a First Division/Premier League title, FA Cup, League Cup and the European Cup. Manchester United (1998–99) and Manchester City (2022–23) are the only two sides ever to pull off a Treble. Liverpool’s cup ‘treble’ in 2000–01 lacked a league title and included Europe’s secondary competition.

But Arsenal are still very much alive and in a strong position in all four competitions to be the first.

In the Premier League, the Gunners have a six-point lead over Manchester City with just over half the season played. They also lead the league phase standings in the Champions League with a 100% winning record from six of the eight matchdays so far.

Arsenal will host League One’s Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup next month and, as mentioned, lead on aggregate in the Carabao Cup semi-finals following this week’s first leg win.

Should Arteta take his team all the way, it would be historic in more ways than one.

Notwithstanding the possibility that it could complete a Quadruple, Arsenal have never in the 70 years of the competition lifted the European Cup/Champions League. Their current Premier League title drought has also now hit 22 years, which is the longest such gap they’ve ever had between league titles since being promoted to the top flight in 1919.

It’s even been more than a generation since last lifting the League (Carabao) Cup, with fans under the age of 40 not old enough to recall the most recent triumph in 1992–93.

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