Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga faces an anxious wait to discover whether he will receive a Premier League winners' medal after the club ended their 22-year title drought.
The Gunners were crowned champions on Tuesday night with a game to spare after Manchester City could only draw 1-1 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. The Arsenal squad celebrated at their training facilities with a cardboard cutout of the trophy, but the real presentation will take place after their final match of the season away to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Club captain Martin Odegaard will be presented with the trophy before medals are distributed to players who have made a minimum of five league appearances this season. Kepa, who joined Arsenal last summer as David Raya's understudy, does not meet that criteria. The former Chelsea goalkeeper started every FA Cup and Carabao Cup game but sat on the bench for every Premier League match without making a single appearance.
Medal Distribution Rules
Arsenal will receive 40 medals in total. According to the Premier League Handbook, medals are 'presented by the Club to its Manager and to such of its Players and Officials as it thinks fit provided that any Player who has entered the field of play in a minimum of five of its League Matches that Season shall receive from the Club a commemorative medal.' Additional medals may only be presented with the consent of the Board if the number of players with five or more appearances exceeds 39.
Currently, 24 Arsenal players have made more than five league appearances this season. While manager Mikel Arteta could choose to start Kepa against Crystal Palace, the goalkeeper would still not meet the five-appearance threshold. However, Arsenal will have 16 spare medals to distribute and may seek Premier League permission to award one to Kepa.
Other Players' Eligibility
Christian Norgaard, who joined Arsenal from Brentford last summer, will be eligible for a medal after making six appearances off the bench. Ethan Nwaneri, who moved to Marseille on loan in January, also qualifies with six appearances. The club will hope to secure consent for Kepa, but the decision remains uncertain.
