For years, Mikel Arteta carried the pressure of rebuilding one of England’s biggest football clubs while constantly facing questions about whether he could truly return Arsenal F.C. to the top.
Now, after ending the club’s 22-year Premier League title drought, the Spanish manager has officially been crowned the Premier League Manager of the Season.
The award follows a historic campaign where Arsenal finally reclaimed the league title after years of near misses, second-place finishes and growing pressure from rivals and supporters.
From Doubts To Champions
What makes Arteta’s achievement more emotional for many Arsenal fans is how close the club came in previous seasons without finishing the job.
After three consecutive runner-up finishes, questions increasingly surrounded whether Arteta was capable of leading Arsenal across the final hurdle.
Even the manager himself admitted he privately questioned whether another coach might eventually need to complete the project he started.
Speaking after Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy, Arteta confessed:
“Maybe someone else has to come and do the final job.”
But this season changed everything.
Arsenal stayed at the top of the table for most of the campaign and eventually secured the title with a game still remaining — a statement many supporters viewed as proof that the club’s rebuilding phase had finally matured into a championship-winning side.
Joining Arsène Wenger In Arsenal History
The latest award also places Arteta in exclusive Arsenal company.
He becomes the first Arsenal manager since Arsène Wenger to win the Premier League Manager of the Season award.
Wenger previously won the honour during each of his title-winning campaigns in:
- 1998,
- 2002,
- and the legendary unbeaten 2004 “Invincibles” season.
For Arsenal supporters, that historical connection adds even more significance to Arteta’s accomplishment given how difficult the post-Wenger era became for the club.
The Managers Arteta Defeated
To secure the award, Arteta finished ahead of several major names including:
- Pep Guardiola,
- Andoni Iraola,
- Keith Andrews,
- Régis Le Bris,
- and Michael Carrick.
The recognition reflects not only Arsenal’s consistency but also how dramatically the club evolved tactically, mentally and defensively throughout the season.
Arsenal’s Season Might Not Be Finished Yet
Despite already securing the league title, Arsenal still have another enormous challenge ahead.
Arteta will now attempt to lead the club toward a historic domestic and European double when Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in the UEFA Champions League Final.
Winning both trophies in the same season would elevate the campaign into one of the greatest in Arsenal’s modern history.
For many fans, though, simply seeing Arsenal back on top of English football already feels like the ending of a very long wait.
