Arsenal's 22-year wait for a Premier League title was not something Ray Parlour could ever have imagined when he lifted the trophy as part of Arsene Wenger's Invincibles in 2004. But when Mikel Arteta's side finally ended that drought last season, the former Gunners midfielder felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"I was so over the moon that they'd done it," Parlour told FourFourTwo. "It was a big relief, because if you'd said to me 22 years ago, back in 2004, that they weren't going to win it again for such a long time, I'd have said you were mad."

A reward for patience

The title triumph did not come without struggle. Arsenal endured three consecutive second-place finishes in the years immediately before their eventual success, and accumulated 11 top-four finishes in the two decades following that famous Invincibles campaign — a record that speaks to persistent competitiveness without the ultimate reward.

For Parlour, this run of near-misses only highlights how unforgiving the race for English football's top domestic prize can be. "It shows how hard it is to win it," he said. "I was thrilled for the squad."

Credit beyond the pitch

Parlour was keen to spread the praise beyond the playing squad, pointing to the club's hierarchy as equally deserving of recognition. "The owners and the people who run things behind the scenes deserve plaudits as well, because we all see how things work in football in this day and age," he said.

Central to that recognition is Arsenal's decision to stand firm behind Arteta through the difficult periods. In an era where managerial patience has become a rarity, the club's commitment to their head coach proved decisive.

"Most of the time, when things go wrong, or when a manager fails to win something, they don't stay in their job," Parlour noted. "But Arsenal really stuck by Mikel Arteta and they backed him all the way."

For a man who knows what it takes to win a Premier League title with Arsenal, Parlour's verdict is clear — the wait made the triumph all the more meaningful.