Mikel Arteta has now taken charge of 100 Premier League matches as manager of Arsenal. How does his record compare to the start made by the Gunners’ all-time greatest manager, Arsene Wenger?
Wenger was the man that originally brought Arteta to Arsenal, back in the summer of 2011. The midfielder proved an influential signing, and he would go on to make 150 appearances for the club under Wenger.
The Spaniard was named club captain and lifted the FA Cup twice before eventually calling time on his playing career in 2016. He went straight into coaching, joining Pep Guardiola’s staff at Manchester City, and quickly established a reputation as a promising tactical mind.
“He has all the qualities to do the job, yes and I think as well he is one of the favourites,” Wenger told beIN Sports back in 2018, shortly after leaving his post as manager when Arteta was being touted as his successor.
“He was a leader, and he has a good passion for the game and he knows the club well, he knows what is important at the club and he was captain of the club. Why Not?”
Arteta was interviewed for the vacancy but was overlooked in favour of Unai Emery. He eventually did get the job in December 2019 following Emery’s sacking.
It’s taken time for the 40-year-old to impose his ideas and get the side playing the football he wants, with some bumps along the way, but things have steadily improved over the course of his 100 Premier League games in charge.
Last season Arteta’s Gunners narrowly missed out on a top-four finish, but they’ve made a stunning start to the 2022-23 campaign and look better than they have in years.
“It looks like it, yes, I think so, yes,” Wenger responded when asked if Arteta had recaptured the old spirit at Arsenal in March 2022.
“We still have some way to go because we were dominating in England for some time.
“All the ingredients are there, the club has invested a lot of money for the first time since we have built the stadium.
“The team is stable now with their results, his leadership looks to be accepted by the players and there is a connection between him and the team.
“So overall, what you see from outside is positive.”
It would be an incredible achievement if the current coach can emulate Wenger, who led Arsenal to three Premier League titles and quickly made an impact at Highbury when he arrived in 1996.
Here’s how Arteta’s first 100 matches as a Premier League manager compare to Wenger’s first 100:
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