diff --git a/src/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php b/src/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php
index 8264afe1d5..ee752d7136 100644
--- a/src/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php
+++ b/src/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php
@@ -252,24 +252,33 @@ public function getConfigTreeBuilder()
                                             ->ifArray()
                                             ->then(static function ($items) {
                                                 foreach ($items as $key => $item) {
-                                                    if (\is_array($item)) {
-                                                        if (!\array_key_exists('label', $item) || !\array_key_exists('route', $item)) {
-                                                            throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Expected either parameters "route" and "label" for array items');
-                                                        }
-
-                                                        if (!\array_key_exists('route_params', $item)) {
-                                                            $items[$key]['route_params'] = [];
-                                                        }
-
-                                                        $items[$key]['admin'] = '';
-                                                    } else {
-                                                        $items[$key] = [
-                                                            'admin' => $item,
-                                                            'label' => '',
-                                                            'route' => '',
-                                                            'route_params' => [],
-                                                            'route_absolute' => false,
-                                                        ];
+                                                    if (!\is_array($item)) {
+                                                        $item = ['admin' => $item];
+                                                        $items[$key] = $item;
+
+                                                        continue;
+                                                    }
+
+                                                    // NEXT_MAJOR: Use !isset() instead and remove the elseif part.
+                                                    if (!\array_key_exists('route', $item)) {
+                                                        throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Expected parameter "route" for array items');
+                                                    } elseif (null === $items[$key]['route']) {
+                                                        @trigger_error(
+                                                            'Passing a null route is deprecated since sonata-project/admin-bundle 3.x.',
+                                                            E_USER_DEPRECATED
+                                                        );
+                                                    }
+
+                                                    // NEXT_MAJOR: Use !isset() instead and remove the elseif part.
+                                                    if (!\array_key_exists('label', $item)) {
+                                                        throw new \InvalidArgumentException('Expected parameter "label" for array items');
+                                                    } elseif (null === $items[$key]['label']) {
+                                                        @trigger_error(
+                                                            'Passing a null label is deprecated since sonata-project/admin-bundle 3.x.',
+                                                            E_USER_DEPRECATED
+                                                        );
+
+                                                        $items[$key]['label'] = '';
                                                     }
                                                 }
 
@@ -289,6 +298,7 @@ public function getConfigTreeBuilder()
                                                 ->end()
                                                 ->arrayNode('route_params')
                                                     ->prototype('scalar')->end()
+                                                    ->defaultValue([])
                                                 ->end()
                                                 ->booleanNode('route_absolute')
                                                     ->info('Whether the generated url should be absolute')
diff --git a/tests/DependencyInjection/Compiler/AddDependencyCallsCompilerPassTest.php b/tests/DependencyInjection/Compiler/AddDependencyCallsCompilerPassTest.php
index 8a5f095fae..e72986fdbc 100644
--- a/tests/DependencyInjection/Compiler/AddDependencyCallsCompilerPassTest.php
+++ b/tests/DependencyInjection/Compiler/AddDependencyCallsCompilerPassTest.php
@@ -115,27 +115,21 @@ public function testProcessParsingFullValidConfig(): void
         $this->assertTrue($dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_three']['on_top']);
         $this->assertFalse($dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['keep_open']);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('admin', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][0]);
-        $this->assertArrayHasKey('route', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][0]);
-        $this->assertArrayHasKey('label', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][0]);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('route_params', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][0]);
         $this->assertContains('sonata_post_admin', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][0]);
-        $this->assertArrayHasKey('admin', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('route', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('label', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('route_params', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]);
         $this->assertContains('blog_name', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]);
         $this->assertContains('Blog', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]);
-        $this->assertSame('', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]['admin']);
         $this->assertSame('blog_name', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]['route']);
         $this->assertSame('Blog', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]['label']);
         $this->assertSame([], $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][1]['route_params']);
-        $this->assertArrayHasKey('admin', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('route', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('label', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('route_params', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]);
         $this->assertContains('blog_article', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]);
         $this->assertContains('Article', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]);
-        $this->assertSame('', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]['admin']);
         $this->assertSame('blog_article', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]['route']);
         $this->assertSame('Article', $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]['label']);
         $this->assertSame(['articleId' => 3], $dashboardGroupsSettings['sonata_group_one']['items'][2]['route_params']);
diff --git a/tests/DependencyInjection/ConfigurationTest.php b/tests/DependencyInjection/ConfigurationTest.php
index 3d5a92d0a3..d12ce44c69 100644
--- a/tests/DependencyInjection/ConfigurationTest.php
+++ b/tests/DependencyInjection/ConfigurationTest.php
@@ -15,11 +15,14 @@
 
 use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
 use Sonata\AdminBundle\DependencyInjection\Configuration;
+use Symfony\Bridge\PhpUnit\ExpectDeprecationTrait;
 use Symfony\Component\Config\Definition\Exception\InvalidTypeException;
 use Symfony\Component\Config\Definition\Processor;
 
 class ConfigurationTest extends TestCase
 {
+    use ExpectDeprecationTrait;
+
     public function testOptions(): void
     {
         $config = $this->process([]);
@@ -153,22 +156,18 @@ public function testDashboardGroups(): void
             $config['dashboard']['groups']['bar']['items'][0],
             [
                 'admin' => 'item1',
-                'label' => '',
-                'route' => '',
+                'roles' => [],
                 'route_params' => [],
                 'route_absolute' => false,
-                'roles' => [],
             ]
         );
         $this->assertSame(
             $config['dashboard']['groups']['bar']['items'][1],
             [
                 'admin' => 'item2',
-                'label' => '',
-                'route' => '',
+                'roles' => [],
                 'route_params' => [],
                 'route_absolute' => false,
-                'roles' => [],
             ]
         );
         $this->assertSame(
@@ -178,7 +177,6 @@ public function testDashboardGroups(): void
                 'route' => 'fooRoute',
                 'route_params' => ['bar' => 'foo'],
                 'route_absolute' => true,
-                'admin' => '',
                 'roles' => [],
             ]
         );
@@ -187,18 +185,56 @@ public function testDashboardGroups(): void
             [
                 'label' => 'barLabel',
                 'route' => 'barRoute',
+                'roles' => [],
                 'route_params' => [],
-                'admin' => '',
+                'route_absolute' => false,
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * NEXT_MAJOR: Remove this test.
+     *
+     * @group legacy
+     */
+    public function testDashboardGroupsWithNullLabel(): void
+    {
+        $this->expectDeprecation('Passing a null label is deprecated since sonata-project/admin-bundle 3.x.');
+
+        $config = $this->process([[
+            'dashboard' => [
+                'groups' => [
+                    'bar' => [
+                        'label' => 'foo',
+                        'icon' => '<i class="fa fa-edit"></i>',
+                        'items' => [
+                            [
+                                'label' => null,
+                                'route' => 'barRoute',
+                            ],
+                        ],
+                    ],
+                ],
+            ],
+        ]]);
+
+        $this->assertCount(1, $config['dashboard']['groups']['bar']['items']);
+        $this->assertSame(
+            $config['dashboard']['groups']['bar']['items'][0],
+            [
+                'label' => '',
+                'route' => 'barRoute',
                 'roles' => [],
+                'route_params' => [],
                 'route_absolute' => false,
             ]
         );
     }
 
-    public function testDashboardGroupsWithBadItemsParams(): void
+    public function testDashboardGroupsWithNoRoute(): void
     {
         $this->expectException(\InvalidArgumentException::class);
-        $this->expectExceptionMessage('Expected either parameters "route" and "label" for array items');
+        $this->expectExceptionMessage('Expected parameter "route" for array items');
 
         $this->process([[
             'dashboard' => [
@@ -207,11 +243,27 @@ public function testDashboardGroupsWithBadItemsParams(): void
                         'label' => 'foo',
                         'icon' => '<i class="fa fa-edit"></i>',
                         'items' => [
-                            'item1',
-                            'item2',
-                            [
-                                'route' => 'fooRoute',
-                            ],
+                            ['label' => 'noRoute'],
+                        ],
+                    ],
+                ],
+            ],
+        ]]);
+    }
+
+    public function testDashboardGroupsWithNoLabel(): void
+    {
+        $this->expectException(\InvalidArgumentException::class);
+        $this->expectExceptionMessage('Expected parameter "label" for array items');
+
+        $this->process([[
+            'dashboard' => [
+                'groups' => [
+                    'bar' => [
+                        'label' => 'foo',
+                        'icon' => '<i class="fa fa-edit"></i>',
+                        'items' => [
+                            ['route' => 'noLabel'],
                         ],
                     ],
                 ],