Why have Arsenal added gold to new home kit despite missing out on title?

Despite their long and gruelling Premier League title challenge ending without success, Arsenal will still be looking glorious in gold next season.

The Gunners were eventually reeled in and overtaken by Manchester City after spending a total of 248 days at the top of the table in 2022-23 — the longest time any team has spent in that position in a season without going on to win the trophy.

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But even though they ended up with the silver medal (and Champions League qualification for the first time since 2016-17), Mikel Arteta’s side will be stepping out at the Emirates next term with a gold badge and matching trim on their jerseys.

That’s because the Arsenal home kit for the 2023-24 season is a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the club’s famed “Invincibles” side — who won the 2003-04 Premier League title without losing a single match.

Spearheaded by the likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal embarked on a run of 26 wins and 12 draws to take the championship by 11 clear points.

That exact W26/D12 result record is stitched into the taping that runs down the flank of the new home shirt. The trim is also gilded in a metallic gold colour to reflect the imperious nature of the Invincibles’ famous feat.

The bright-red base of the design also features a tonal zig-zag pattern that has become synonymous with Arsenal kits over the years, beginning in the early 1990s and being regularly revisited by many of the club’s recent retro-tinged strips.

The Arsenal family, forever as one ❤️ pic.twitter.com/YSMPfMD9hh

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 26, 2023

As part of the grand reveal, Bukayo Saka — fresh from signing a new long-term contract with his boyhood club — was joined by several hundred Arsenal supporters and members of staff at the Emirates Stadium to proudly show off their latest uniform.

Stars from the club’s women’s team Leah Williamson, Kim Little and Lia Walti also contributed to the kit launch, and the first time fans will see the kit in action will be in the Gunners’ final Women’s Super League match of the season against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Saka & Co. will then also sport the new shirt when they close out their Premier League campaign on Sunday against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Exactly two decades on from their most recent title, the Gunners are hoping the 20-year anniversary of one the Premier League’s greatest modern miracles will coincide with history repeating itself at the Emirates next season.