Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal: Rebuilding Success and the Pursuit of Major Trophies

Mikel Arteta has not secured a major trophy with Arsenal since their FA Cup victory in 2020. Nevertheless, Arsenal supporters can now anticipate winning silverware. The Gunners narrowly defeated Crystal Palace on Wednesday, advancing to the Carabao Cup semi-finals, as they aim for their first significant trophy since Arteta’s initial season, when they lifted the FA Cup. Gabriel Jesus scored a hat-trick, his initial goals at Emirates Stadium in over a year, enabling Arsenal to overcome a deficit against the Eagles. This victory positions them one two-legged fixture away from reaching a final, a feat not achieved since their 2020 success. This marks Arteta’s second domestic semi-final appearance since the 2020 trophy, in addition to reaching the Europa League semi-finals in 2021. By Friday, Arteta, who ranks as the Premier League’s third longest-serving manager and fourth in English professional football, will have completed five years at the helm of Arsenal. This report examines his tenure at Arsenal, highlighting how the club has evolved from inconsistent performance to becoming a formidable presence in the Premier League, despite a scarcity of major silverware. The remaining challenge is to achieve that ultimate breakthrough. According to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Arteta, described as “one of the game’s deep thinkers and typically obsessed,” has demonstrated the capacity to advance the Gunners further. Balague stated: “No-one doubts that Arsenal are once again a top-four club that still need one or two adjustments to allow them to compete for the title and add to the one FA Cup and two Community Shields they have currently won.” He added: “I am convinced that Arteta has thought about it and has the personality and vision to bring about the necessary changes.” Since Arteta took charge, Arsenal has accumulated 366 Premier League points, a total surpassed only by Man City (429) and Liverpool (396). Under Arteta’s leadership, Arsenal has secured 22 more points in his 188 matches compared to their preceding 188 games. The club finished as runners-up in the last two Premier League seasons, trailing Manchester City. Last season was record-breaking for the Gunners, achieving 89 points, 28 wins, and 91 goals – all club records in the Premier League. Currently, this season, Arsenal sits third in the Premier League, six points behind the leaders, and third in their Champions League group table. They are also anticipating a League Cup semi-final. This stands in stark contrast to the state of Arsenal when Arteta assumed control on 20 December 2019. After securing a second-place finish in 2015-16, Arsenal subsequently did not place higher than fifth during the later Wenger era and Unai Emery’s 18-month tenure. Arteta’s appointment occurred when Arsenal was positioned 10th in the Premier League. It can be reasonably stated that Arteta, then 37 years old and undertaking his initial managerial position, took over a squad characterized by its size and age. He benefited from his employers’ willingness to exercise considerable patience. His initial half-season resulted in an eighth-place finish, and the 2020-21 season showed minimal progress, including a period of eight losses in 12 league matches, with the Gunners again concluding the season in eighth position. The initial two years were marked by player discontent, fan unhappiness, a worldwide pandemic, and the termination of multiple prominent player contracts. Few would dispute that Arteta has fundamentally altered the club’s condition from its previous state. However, a considerable period has passed since Arsenal last won the Premier League, with Arsene Wenger’s final title of three achieved in 2004. It is foreseeable that as this wait extends, scrutiny will intensify. Former Arsenal forward Alan Smith commented on Sky Sports: “Maybe the demand is building on social media. It has been a difficult spell obviously and questions will be asked because of the gap. They have to turn it around pretty quickly.” He continued: “People say they have to win a trophy – I don’t think that is the case. As long as you can see this is a team challenging at the top, that is progress.” Scott stated: “Before Arteta arrived, I was on the verge of stopping my support for them because I felt like the Arsenal I grew up loving were gone. Mikel has rebuilt the club, made us solid, given youth a chance to make an impact, made difficult decisions, and been ruthless when needed. The progress from where we were has been fantastic, especially when you compare to other clubs like Manchester United. I think we have to remember he is a young manager doing remarkably well. The trophies will come!” Savs remarked: “Arsenal have come a long way in five years. And this was after a lot more than five years of gradual decline. The comparison is often made with a post-Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United – it’s a fair one and they are still in disarray. Through this lens, Arteta has done a magnificent job. However, now comes perhaps the hardest final step – winning trophies. He should be given the time and opportunity to do this. But this has to be this season or next. Keep the faith. Keep supporting. Keep believing.” Tharun commented: “He has done what Ruben Amorim is trying to do. We went from a team who were not qualifying in the top four, which was disappointing, to not winning the league which is disappointing. Now we know we can win silverware so we ought to expect one.” Lee suggested: “We will never win anything until a striker like Alexander Isak or even Marcus Rashford were to come in. I’m sure Arteta could get him back to his best and then teams would be more afraid of the striker and less dependent on trying to stop midfielders Martin Odegaard or Bukayo Saka. That would open more space for the team to do damage, especially in tight games.” Oyoo observed: “To me, Arsenal are in good shape but lack just one thing in their game and that’s finishing upfront. If only they could fix that, then silverware is not a problem this season. You can’t rely on set-pieces and fail to create chances to score. Even if you create the chance, there is no sharp striker who is calculative enough up front.” Arteta has undeniably received support for his Arsenal initiative, with his ‘trust the process’ mantra widely embraced. Since his arrival, the Gunners’ net expenditure totals £500.14m, as per Football Transfers data. In contrast, Manchester City’s net spend during the identical timeframe is only £59.75m, aided by substantial sales of young players. This figure also dwarfs the £235.4m net spend from the preceding five years. This financial backing has enabled him to construct a younger, more cohesive squad from the players he inherited, notably investing heavily in players such as Declan Rice and Kai Havertz recently. Rory Smith of The Athletic informed BBC Sport: “It’s seven years since Wenger left and that immediate succession was difficult, but since 2019 when Mikel Arteta took charge, it’s been a pretty steep trajectory.” He continued: “They’ve come back to the position they’ve occupied since 2004, which was regularly qualifying for the Champions League, mounting title challenges and being one of England’s undoubted elite.” Smith added: “In the past year or two it’s maybe slowed down a bit. That might be because the final hurdle is the hardest, but he has transformed a club that had dipped really far and turned them back into what they were.” He concluded: “The transition for Arsenal post Wenger is not nearly as long as the one for United.” Last month, when questioned about reaching 250 games as Arsenal manager, Arteta articulated what he considered his most significant accomplishment. He stated: “Bringing the club together, 100%. Lifting the spirit, giving a very clear DNA to the football club, and pride. To representing this shirt, from the players to everyone involved in the club, in the way that is expected at this level.” He also acknowledges the forthcoming challenge. He affirmed: “Now it is about winning, that is the next step for sure.”