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Arsenal FC: Current Manager Mikel Arteta and History of Club Managers

Arsenal Football Club is famous for its managers, especially the legendary Arsène Wenger. Since Wenger’s departure, the club has struggled to capture a league title, with their last top-flight championship coming in 2004 during an unbeaten season. The club’s leadership seems content with trophies such as the Community Shield and FA Cup, while fans continue to hope for more significant success. Arsenal have claimed 47 trophies overall but have yet to win a European title. Their London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, have multiple European honors. In the 2024-25 season, Tottenham secured the UEFA Europa League, intensifying Arsenal’s desire for their first UEFA Champions League triumph.

Mikel Arteta: Profile and Career Path

Mikel Arteta, the current manager of Arsenal, is a Spanish former footballer who began his career at the renowned La Masia academy in Spain. He made his mark as a midfielder, starting professionally with the Scottish club Rangers. Known as an underrated player with distinctive skills, Arteta played key roles for several clubs. His best playing period came at Everton, and he also had a stint at Arsenal under Arsène Wenger.

Transitioning to coaching, Arteta served as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City before taking over as Arsenal's manager in December 2019. Though silverware under his management has been limited so far, expectations remain high that his tactical approach will bring multiple trophies in the near future.

Arteta's Tactical Approach

Arsenal under Arteta is recognized for a hybrid style blending positional control and intense pressing. This combines elements from Pep Guardiola’s focus on ball retention and Jurgen Klopp’s aggressive gegenpressing. This mix allows Arsenal to dominate mid-table teams sitting deep as well as challenge high-pressing sides, exemplified by their UEFA Champions League victory over Real Madrid in the 2024-25 season where they controlled a star-studded midfield.

Current Coaching Staff at Arsenal

  • Manager: Mikel Arteta
  • Assistant Managers: Albert Stuivenberg, Nicolas Jover, Miguel Molina, Gabriel Heinze
  • Goalkeeping Coach: Inaki Cana
  • Academy Manager: Per Mertesacker
  • Head of Sports Medicine and Performance: Zafar Iqbal
  • Managing Director: Richard Garlick
  • Chief Commercial Officer: Juliet Slot
  • Chief Financial Officer: Stuart Wisely
  • Director of Football Operations: James King

Set Piece Coaching

Nicolas Jover, born in Germany in 1981, is Arsenal’s set-piece coach. He started as a video analyst at Montpellier and made a name for himself at Manchester City before joining Arsenal in 2021. His influence is clear; during the 2023-24 Premier League season, Arsenal scored twenty goals from set pieces—the most in the league—with sixteen from corners, equaling the single-season record.

List of Arsenal Managers Through History

  • Thomas Mitchell (Scotland): Mar 30, 1897 – Mar 10, 1898, 45 matches, 23 wins, 8 draws, 14 losses, 106 GF, 79 GA, 51.11% win rate, no major trophies
  • William Elcoat (England): Apr 11, 1898 – Feb 16, 1899, 44 matches, 21 wins, 6 draws, 17 losses, 86 GF, 67 GA, 47.73% win rate, no major trophies
  • Arthur Kennedy (England): Feb 21, 1899 – Apr 29, 1899, 15 matches, 8 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses, 31 GF, 17 GA, 53.33% win rate, no major trophies
  • Harry Bradshaw (England): Jun 30, 1899 – Apr 30, 1904, 235 matches, 118 wins, 44 draws, 73 losses, 403 GF, 237 GA, 50.21% win rate, no major trophies
  • Phil Kelso (Scotland): May 1, 1904 – Feb 9, 1908, 152 matches, 63 wins, 31 draws, 58 losses, 225 GF, 229 GA, 41.45% win rate, no major trophies
  • George Morrell (Scotland): Feb 10, 1908 – Apr 13, 1915, 309 matches, 113 wins, 74 draws, 122 losses, 392 GF, 428 GA, 36.57% win rate, no major trophies
  • James McEwen (England): Apr 19, 1915 – May 24, 1919, 2 matches, 1 win, 0 draws, 1 loss, 7 GF, 3 GA, 50.00% win rate, no major trophies
  • Leslie Knighton (England): May 25, 1919 – May 16, 1925, 286 matches, 105 wins, 63 draws, 118 losses, 367 GF, 401 GA, 36.71% win rate, no major trophies
  • Herbert Chapman (England): Jun 11, 1925 – Jan 6, 1934, 411 matches, 204 wins, 97 draws, 110 losses, 879 GF, 616 GA, 49.64% win rate, won 2 First Divisions, 1 FA Cup, 3 Shields
  • Joe Shaw (England): Jan 6, 1934 – May 28, 1934, 23 matches, 14 wins, 3 draws, 6 losses, 44 GF, 29 GA, 60.87% win rate, won 1 First Division
  • George Allison (England): May 28, 1934 – May 31, 1947, 279 matches, 129 wins, 74 draws, 76 losses, 534 GF, 327 GA, 46.24% win rate, won 2 First Divisions, 1 FA Cup, 2 Shields
  • Tom Whittaker (England): Jun 2, 1947 – Oct 24, 1956, 430 matches, 203 wins, 106 draws, 121 losses, 802 GF, 568 GA, 47.21% win rate, won 2 First Divisions, 1 FA Cup, 2 Shields
  • Jack Crayston (England): Oct 24, 1956 – May 19, 1958, 81 matches, 34 wins, 17 draws, 30 losses, 148 GF, 151 GA, 41.98% win rate, no major trophies
  • George Swindin (England): Jun 21, 1958 – May 1, 1962, 186 matches, 76 wins, 43 draws, 67 losses, 336 GF, 330 GA, 40.86% win rate, no major trophies
  • Billy Wright (England): May 1, 1962 – Jun 13, 1966, 182 matches, 70 wins, 43 draws, 69 losses, 336 GF, 330 GA, 38.46% win rate, no major trophies
  • Bertie Mee (England): Jun 20, 1966 – May 4, 1976, 539 matches, 241 wins, 148 draws, 150 losses, 739 GF, 542 GA, 44.71% win rate, won 1 First Division, 1 FA Cup, 1 Fairs Cup
  • Terry Neill (Northern Ireland): Jul 9, 1976 – Dec 16, 1983, 416 matches, 187 wins, 117 draws, 112 losses, 601 GF, 446 GA, 44.95% win rate, won 1 FA Cup
  • Don Howe (England): Dec 16, 1983 – Mar 22, 1986, 117 matches, 54 wins, 32 draws, 31 losses, 187 GF, 142 GA, 46.15% win rate, no major trophies
  • Steve Burtenshaw (England): Mar 23, 1986 – May 14, 1986, 11 matches, 3 wins, 2 draws, 6 losses, 7 GF, 15 GA, 27.27% win rate, no major trophies
  • George Graham (Scotland): May 14, 1986 – Feb 21, 1995, 460 matches, 225 wins, 133 draws, 102 losses, 711 GF, 403 GA, 48.91% win rate, won 2 First Divisions, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cups, 1 CWC, 1 Shield
  • Stewart Houston (Scotland): Feb 21, 1995 – Jun 15, 1995, 19 matches, 7 wins, 3 draws, 9 losses, 29 GF, 25 GA, 36.84% win rate, no major trophies
  • Bruce Rioch (Scotland): Jun 15, 1995 – Aug 12, 1996, 47 matches, 22 wins, 15 draws, 10 losses, 67 GF, 37 GA, 46.81% win rate, no major trophies
  • Stewart Houston (2nd time) (Scotland): Aug 12, 1996 – Sep 13, 1996, 6 matches, 2 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses, 11 GF, 10 GA, 33.33% win rate, no major trophies
  • Pat Rice (Northern Ireland): Sep 13, 1996 – Sep 30, 1996, 4 matches, 3 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss, 10 GF, 4 GA, 75.00% win rate, no major trophies
  • Arsène Wenger (France): Oct 1, 1996 – May 13, 2018, 1,235 matches, 707 wins, 280 draws, 248 losses, 2,156 GF, 1,147 GA, 57.25% win rate, won 3 Premier Leagues, 7 FA Cups, 7 Shields
  • Unai Emery (Spain): May 23, 2018 – Nov 29, 2019, 78 matches, 43 wins, 16 draws, 19 losses, 152 GF, 100 GA, 55.13% win rate, no major trophies
  • Freddie Ljungberg (Sweden) (Interim): Nov 29, 2019 – Dec 21, 2019, 6 matches, 1 win, 3 draws, 2 losses, 8 GF, 10 GA, 16.67% win rate, no major trophies
  • Mikel Arteta (Spain): Dec 22, 2019 – Present (Dec 2024), 255 matches, 151 wins, 44 draws, 60 losses, 480 GF, 250 GA, 59.22% win rate, won 1 FA Cup, 2 Shields

Common Questions

  • Who manages Arsenal now? Mikel Arteta leads the team as the current manager.
  • Who is the best Arsenal manager ever? Arsène Wenger is considered the greatest in Arsenal history.
  • Which teams did Arteta play for? His playing career included Barcelona B, Paris Saint-Germain, Rangers, Real Sociedad, Everton, and Arsenal.
  • When did Arteta become Arsenal manager? He took over on December 20, 2019.

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Arsenal Manager History and Current Coaching Staff | Mikel Arteta Profile