Manager

Arsenal appointed Mikel Arteta as the club’s latest manager in December 2019 with the title of head coach. He returned to the club to replace Unai Emery at the Emirates Stadium helm.

Arteta had enjoyed a five-year playing career in north London after joining the Gunners back in 2011 under Arsene Wenger. The Spaniard also captained the club from 2014 after leading them to the FA Cup title in 2014. He had the armband as vice-captain to Thomas Vermaelen.

The midfielder called time on his playing career in 2016 before moving into the dugout as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Yet Arteta returned to the capital in 2019 and added another FA Cup to Arsenal’s trophy cabinet to then earn the title of manager in 2020.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s coaching career

Arsenal promoted Arteta to the role of manager in September 2020 following their triumph in the FA Cup. His success at the helm also secured the Spaniard a new contract in May 2022 running to June 2025. The deal also increased his salary to £8.3m-a-year (£160k-a-week).

The Gunners felt fit to reward Arteta’s efforts as the club were challenging for qualification into the Champions League. Even though the north Londoners started the 2021/22 Premier League season with Arsenal’s worst start to a top-flight term in 67 years with three defeats.

Emirates Stadium chiefs also questioned Arteta’s position in charge in August 2021, per The Telegraph. Yet Arsenal trusted the process and are now reaping the rewards as Arteta’s side is fighting for the 2022/23 Premier League title. It would be the team’s first title in 19 years.

Arsenal showed great faith in Arteta’s potential as a manager when the club named him as Emery’s replacement, as well. The San Sebastian native had only been an assistant coach to Guardiola before taking charge at the Emirates. But Arteta showed great potential as a No2.

Pep Guardiola saw Mikel Arteta as his replacement

Arteta played a key role behind the scenes at Manchester City whilst serving as Guardiola’s right-hand man for three-and-a-half years. His technical expertise proved crucial as the club won two Premier League titles and one FA Cup. Raheem Sterling also hailed his importance.

“He’s a person that had a lot of say here,” Sterling said in October 2020, via the Mirror. “The manager trusted him here and he had a lot of influence on the players here and the team, as well. So, I knew once he went into Arsenal that it would be a great opportunity for him.”

Guardiola even saw Arteta as his future successor as manager of Manchester City before the Spaniard returned to Arsenal. But the Catalan has revealed that Arteta did not want to wait.

“I am pretty sure if I would have left before, he would be here and he would be the best, absolutely,” Guardiola said in January 2023, via the Daily Mail. “But I extended the contract, I am sorry, and he didn’t wait, so it could not happen, but definitely [Arteta could have].”

Mikel Arteta’s coaching career

Arsenal (Manager, December 2019 – June 2025 expected)

Manchester City (Assistant manager, July 2016 – December 2019)

Mikel Arteta’s playing career

Arteta captained Arsenal to two FA Cup trophies during his time as a midfielder for the club under Wenger. The Spaniard first lifted the title as Vermaelen’s vice-captain in 2014 before the Gunners defended the trophy in 2015. But Arteta did not feature in the 2015 showpiece.

Surgery for an ankle injury in January 2015 ended Arteta’s season, in which he had also not featured since November due to an earlier calf issue. Further injury problems would plague his 2015/16 campaign, as well, before the midfielder hung up his boots to become a coach.

Arteta was a key player for Wenger previous to his injury problems after joining the Gunners from Everton in August 2011 for £10m. Arsenal sealed a deadline day deal as the midfielder handed in a transfer request after talks between the clubs collapsed earlier on that summer.

Injuries would plague the final 20 months of his career. But Arteta left Arsenal after scoring 16 and assisting 11 goals in 150 games. He had also earlier enjoyed 209 appearances for the Toffees, returning 35 goals and 37 assists. Everton had signed the midfielder back in 2005.

Arteta’s move to Everton marked his return to the UK following a previous spell at Rangers from 2002 to 2004 before joining Real Sociedad. While his career started in Antiguoko KE’s academy before spells with Barcelona – without a senior match – and Paris Saint-Germain.

Two years at Ibrox also returned the first silverware of Arteta’s career after helping Rangers win a treble in 2002/03. The Glasgow giants secured the Premiership title, Scottish Cup and League Cup that season. While Arteta went on to win two Community Shields with Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta as the manager of Arsenal

Arteta led Arsenal to the FA Cup trophy in his first season as their manager in 2019/20. The Gunners edged ties against Leeds United, AFC Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield United, Manchester City and Chelsea. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a MOTM display in the final.

But Arsenal only ended the 2019/20 Premier League season in eighth place and also ended the 2020/21 term in eighth. Their lowly finish to the 2020/21 campaign also meant Arsenal failed to qualify for any European competition for the first time since the 1994/95 season.

The lack of European fixtures on the calendar helped Arsenal to compete for a potential top-four finish in 2021/22. Yet while they had fourth place under their control with three games left of the season, defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United gave Spurs the spot.

Arteta’s raids on Manchester City in July 2022 to get Gabriel Jesus for £45m and Oleksandr Zinchenko for £32m would launch Arsenal into surprise contention for the 2022/23 Premier League title, however. The Gunners have not won the English top-flight title since 2003/04.