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• Mikel Arteta pleased to see Granit Xhaka given appreciation from Arsenal fans

  Mikel Arteta remained tight-lipped about the future of Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka but was pleased to see him get the appreciation he deserved after their 5-0 thrashing of Wolves.

  Xhaka netted a first-half double in what is expected to be his final appearance for the Gunners with a summer exit to Bayer Leverkusen in the works and left the pitch to a standing ovation in the 75th minute with supporters’ urging him to stay.

  It completes a remarkable turnaround for the Swiss international, who saw his relationship with the Emirates crowd reach an all-time low in the winter of 2019 during a home match with Crystal Palace where he chucked his shirt on the floor before subsequently being stripped of the captaincy.

  Arteta convinced Xhaka not to leave Arsenal during the following transfer window and his brace on the final-day saw the 30-year-old finish the campaign with nine goals, his best ever tally.

  Asked about Xhaka’s impending departure, Arteta responded: “You know that?

  “It’s news for me.”

  The Gunners boss was more forthcoming about the reception Xhaka received before, during and after the emphatic victory over Wolves.

  “Well deserved. He’s had an incredible season,” Arteta said.

  “I think one year back I spoke to him and I told him ‘there’s a question mark on you, you have to deliver more, you have to be better, I’m going to challenge you to play here.’

  “He went back and I think he started to train the next day. He came back in preseason four kilos less, fit, with this (focused) face and really willing to do it. He’s been exceptional.

  “He’s been a key part of the team, the success of the team and I’m so happy everybody is appreciating what he’s done.”

  While the final-day clash was not the league title celebration Arsenals fans would have hoped for back in April, when they held an eight-point lead over champions Manchester City, Arteta’s side still concluded their campaign in front of a party atmosphere.

  After Xhaka’s quickfire double, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Jakub Kiwior netted to earn the hosts a 26th league win of the campaign.

  When Arteta addressed the packed Emirates crowd after full-time, he was repeatedly serenaded and the Spaniard expressed his delight at finishing on a good note.

  He added: “It was really nice the way they transmitted their love and support to the team, to every player, and obviously to me as well.

  “It’s been a really emotional year and a very special season. The team and our people deserved to end it in a good way so I’m really happy.

  “It was one of my big dreams to connect again with the soul of this football club – that’s our people. We have done that and there’s no discussion about it. That makes me really proud and grateful to be part of that journey together.

  “We want to deliver together success and the destination has to be trophies and success for this club, but we have to enjoy the journey together and especially the company.

  “I said it especially there because we have special people in this club, an incredible group of players and an amazing support.

  “That has to be enjoyed because at the end it’s about winning or not winning the margin, but you cannot underestimate those other things. I think if we don’t do it then we will regret it.”

  It proved a memorable finish for Arsenal, but not for Wolves or their manager Julen Lopetegui.

  Lopetegui’s future is uncertain given the financial troubles of the Molineux club and he warned another “miracle” is not guaranteed next season.

  “We have lost against one of the best teams in the Premier League but the way we have lost, I am not happy,” he said.

  “I don’t want to forgot that the second part of season the team has made has been fantastic, being out of relegation (zone) three matches before end.

  “That is why I highlight the merit of the players. Maybe it (survival) has been a little miracle and we have to learn for the future.

  “Maybe one miracle is possible, two no. That is why you have to learn for the future to be able to improve and do our hard work.”

• I apologise I didn’t do better – Sam Allardyce says sorry after Leeds relegated

  Leeds boss Sam Allardyce apologised to the club’s fans after a 4-1 home defeat to Tottenham confirmed their Premier League relegation.

  Allardyce, who Leeds had turned to in desperation with four games remaining, also urged the club to quickly resolve their ownership issue to aid their bid to bounce straight back from the Sky Bet Championship.

  The former England manager said he had no regrets about taking on the job and will sit down with the board next week to discuss whether he will stay in the role.

  Allardyce said: “I can’t say I’ve enjoyed it. I’m glad I came back. I tried my best to get Leeds out of trouble, but I can’t enjoy anything when I don’t win.

  “We didn’t leave a stone unturned and it’s really sad that Leeds is in this position and to the fans, I apologise that I didn’t do better and the players didn’t do better.”

  Leeds issued a statement shortly after the game also apologising to the club’s supporters for a “painful” relegation.

  It read: “We apologise to our fanbase that the performances this season have not seen the club consolidate our status as we had all hoped.

  “However, Leeds United remains in a strong position to build a team that can challenge for promotion from the Championship next season.

  “We know things have not been good enough, we know we have to improve, but please be assured that behind the scenes we have worked hard to ensure that the past will not be repeated.

  “Our focus is now on how we get straight back to the Premier League. ”

  Leeds majority shareholder and chairman Andrea Radrizzani is understood to have stayed in Italy as the club crashed out of the top flight.

  Harry Kane’s brace and goals from Pedro Porro and Lucas Moura ensured Leeds’ three-year stay was over and Jack Harrison’s second-half effort for Leeds was scant consolation for their fans, who vented their fury at the board throughout the match.

  Speculation is mounting over whether a consortium Radrizzani is reported to be part of is poised to complete a takeover at Sampdoria and so expedite the sale of his shares in Leeds to American co-owners 49ers Enterprises.

  Allardyce said: “I can tell them (the Leeds board) what I think needs to be done and then they can say what they think.

  “Obviously, how is the club going to go forward? And who with? Because we all know about whether it’s going to be bought or stay the same, what’s going to happen?

  “That’s probably the first factor that needs to get sorted out before you even speak to me, if you’re going to speak to me.”

  Spurs, who missed out on a place in Europe next season despite Sunday’s result, will also begin their search for a new manager and interim boss Ryan Mason said some “huge decisions” would have to be made by the club.

  Mason, who has won two of his six games back in temporary charge, said: “First of all it’s to understand who we want to be and where we want to go, going forward.

  “Then it’s realising who fits that, members of staff and also players as well. It’s an important few weeks now and hopefully we make the right decisions.”

  Mason added: “We have quite big squad. Whoever is in charge in pre-season, there are a lot of players and decisions to make.

  “Obviously the bigger picture is disappointment over how the season has gone as a whole because we’ve finished outside of Europe for the first time in a long time. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

• Sean Dyche planning major changes at Everton after avoiding relegation

  Everton manager Sean Dyche will allow his players to briefly enjoy their escape from relegation but he has already laid down the law that major changes are needed at the club.

  Abdoulaye Doucoure’s 57th-minute thunderbolt gave the Toffees a 1-0 win over Bournemouth and the victory which ensured they stayed up and extended their stay in the top flight to 70 successive seasons.

  For the second consecutive season there was a pitch invasion at the final whistle – although nowhere near as many numbers joined in as 12 months ago when safety was secured with a game to spare.

  There was a feeling inside the club that they did not want to be seen to be celebrating avoiding failure and that probably came from Dyche himself.

  “It’s a horrible day for all concerned, there is no joy in it for me other than getting the job done,” said the former Burnley boss, who only took over in late January.

  “I came in here to change a mentality and I think there have been signs of that. There is still more to go.

  “I said to the the players ‘We shouldn’t be here. Enjoy this today and you’ve earned it but at the end of the day it has got to change’.

  “There is no point in sitting on it and saying ‘Look how great we are’ because it is not like that.

  “There is loads to change here and a lot of work to be done but it was a big step to secure it.”

  Dyche was able to speak from a greater position of strength after avoiding what would have been only the club’s third relegation in their 145-year history.

  That gave him the confidence to dish out some home truths in his post-match press conference which he had been reticent to do so previously for fear of creating more instability and detracting from the task in hand.

  “Don’t think I thought this was an easy fix because it is not, far from it,” he added.

  “It’s a big club, make no mistake. Big history, big club, but we are not performing like a big club. We have to find a way of changing that. This is two seasons now.

  “I’ve played my little part in two seasons of this but there is a massive amount of change to build to a new dawn, a new future, a bigger future if you like.”

  That future is likely to see him make significant changes to a totally unbalanced squad which somehow avoided relegation despite playing the whole season with their main striker – Dominic Calvert-Lewin – featuring in less than half of it and his back-up – Neal Maupay – managing just one goal (in September) in 29 appearances.

  Asked if he would have to sell players, with the club having made more than £430m of losses in the last four years, Dyche added: “There’s a chance. I’ll find out about that.

  “There’s not been any depth, there have been peripheral talks based on ifs, buts and maybes but that will come over the coming weeks when we find out the truth of what we have got, what we can do, what we can’t do.

  “We had to get this (safety) sorted out, we’ve got it over the line. It was absolutely the key focus. Now it is time to immediately re-focus on the rest of it.”

  Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil was disappointed not to have got something from the game.

  “I thought we were the better side and had control for the most part but there is still a lot to progress on,” he said.

  “We knew we were coming into a tough atmosphere against a direct team and I thought the lads stood up to it well. We maybe didn’t create enough.

  “We maybe got a little too desperate towards the end but there was a lot there I liked. It’s just a shame we didn’t score, I always thought we would get one.”