'No more jokes, it's our ⁠time', declares Saka after Arsenal prove doubters wrong

[p]The 24-year-old posted: [b]"You deserve more [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a] fans"[/b] along ‌with a picture of a then-teenaged [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saka-bukayo/08NLEo06/"]Saka[/a] looking disconsolate on X six years ago when ‌Arsenal found themselves 15th in the standings in December with just ‌four wins.[/p][p]Now, with the Premier League title in the bag after a 22-year wait, ‌Saka said it has ended years of ridicule directed at the ‌North London club.[/p][p][b]"I was in a dark place,"[/b] Saka told former Arsenal striker Ian Wright on Sky Sports.[/p][p]"Obviously, I know what you guys have done for the club and ‌where this club has been in the past.[/p][p][b]"At ⁠that very moment, we were very ‌low and very far from the level I believe Arsenal should be. I know ​from school, from social media, the banter and what people say about Arsenal, how they laugh about us.[/b][/p][p][b]"At that moment, I just ​wanted to put it out in a post. That's what I felt at that moment. But it's done now. No more jokes, it's our ⁠time."[/b][/p][embed guid="a645c812-5892-488b-9f13-999837edbb9a" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2058611485006323829" social-type="twitter" /][p]Saka said lifting the trophy ​at Selhurst Park, following [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/arsenal-hA1Zm19f/crystal-palace-AovF1Mia/?mid=UNC9hLMj"]a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace[/a] in the final game, felt like a "surreal" moment.[/p][p][b]"I just said to JT (Jurrien Timber), we are standing in our dreams," [/b]Saka added.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rice-declan/zkQ8Cm6n/"]Declan Rice[/a] revealed the viral moment ‌where he told his teammates, "It's not done," after Arsenal's loss to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a] proved to be the turning point in their title charge.[/p][p]The England international's defiant message came after the loss allowed their title rivals City to close the gap.[/p][p]But Arsenal responded by winning every remaining game while Pep Guardiola's City stumbled and finished seven points behind Mikel Arteta's side.[/p][image alt="Arsenal are Premier League champions" id="2213d554-6130-49f0-a7a5-d9cab6732e1f" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="3b1eb8ad-c9da-44c1-848b-e4e8a1f7ed93" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p][b]"I believed it, 100%, because I took a lot from that game. But it was also to comfort my teammates and calm everyone down because there were still ‌five games to go,"[/b] Rice said.[/p][p]"It wasn't like it was the last ​game of the season. After that, we started to be a ‌bit freer in our game. There was a little bit less pressure on us... You could sense there was a bit of pressure with our performances.[/p][p][b]"We were trying not to let any outside noise come in, but once that City game was over, we just ⁠said, 'There are five games, we can't ⁠throw it away'. It was ‌a strong message, and it's paid off."[/b][/p]