Nine Trophy-Hungry Arsenal and City Players Dream of the Quadruple, with Saliba Desperate to Fill His Empty Pockets

William Saliba isn't mincing words about his silverware drought. The French centre-back, having risen to become one of the Premier League's finest defenders, remains conspicuously bare when it comes to major honours. Following Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg triumph against Chelsea, he laid bare his frustration.

"We want to win everything," Saliba declared. "I think I'm tired to finish the season without nothing in my pockets. My pocket was empty the last year, and now we want to win everything: this cup, the FA Cup, Champions League, Premier League."

He acknowledged the scale of the ambition. "Of course, it's not easy. It's easy to say it but we want to prove it on the pitch and we give everything to win every title."

It's a curious situation: nine players from Arsenal and Manchester City have yet to claim a single trophy between them, and they're now eyeing a Quadruple. History suggests this is vanishingly unlikely—Plymouth's Nathan Jones and Chris Armstrong are among those who've previously derailed such ambitious campaigns.

Saliba's Peculiar Predicament

The Frenchman's trophy cabinet is genuinely sparse. Beyond a couple of Community Shields, his collection amounts to little more than runners-up medals in the Coupe de France and World Cup, plus a growing catalogue of individual accolades. Arsenal's last piece of silverware arrived in 2020, well before Saliba's delayed Arteta-era ascent.

Calafiori's Heartbreak Trail

Riccardo Calafiori has reached the semi-finals five times at senior level without ever progressing further. A hamstring injury ruled him out of Roma's 8-5 Europa League demolition by Manchester United in 2020/21. Basel broke his heart in the Conference League final four in 2022/23, losing in extra-time to Fiorentina. Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle eliminated him from the Champions League and FA Cup respectively last season, during which he managed just 34 minutes for Arsenal. Technically, he was on loan at Genoa when Roma won the Conference League in 2022—and that hardly counts under Jose Mourinho's tenure.

The Young Guns

Myles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman represent a different problem: youth. Lewis-Skelly, just 19, arrived at Arsenal long after their trophy drought began. He bypassed the U21s entirely and missed England's U19 triumphs in 2017 and 2022 through timing alone. Dowman's only international tournament experience ended in group-stage elimination at the U17 Euros.

City's Continental Casualties

Rayan Ait-Nouri arrived at Manchester City for £31m in June with a clear mission: "My goal is to win many trophies and give everything for the team and the badge." Yet his eight-year professional career has yielded nothing tangible. He's never even reached a semi-final with Angers, Wolves, Manchester City, or Algeria.

Nico O'Reilly had the misfortune of making his City debut during their first trophy-less campaign in nearly a decade under their manager.

The Exotic Arrivals

Rayan Cherki, once the Champions League semi-final's youngest-ever player, joined City for his debut campaign. Had he emerged during Lyon's glorious mid-2000s spell, he might have collected trophies alongside Juninho Pernambucano and Karim Benzema. For now, he'll have to settle for winning hearts.

Antoine Semenyo arrived for £62.5m as one of the priciest players ever without a trophy to his name. His journey from Bristol City through Bournemouth—with loans at Bath, Newport, and Sunderland—hardly screams silverware. He's already bagged a pair of goals and an assist in the domestic cups, suggesting he's not waiting for glory to find him.

Omar Marmoush? Well, we don't talk about the 2018/19 Regionalliga Nord.