By Saad Ahmad.

December 2019. Arsenal fans were in despair. Years of tragic results, exile from the Champions League, and a paradigm shift following the departure of Arsène Wenger left the club in turmoil. It was at this time, after a short-lived tenure under Unai Emery, that Arsenal’s management turned to former captain Mikel Arteta as a saviour.

Arteta appeared to be a breath of fresh air, and despite finishing eighth in a COVID-ridden first season, Arsenal’s heroic FA Cup victory in 2020 appeared to herald a new dawn of Arsenal progress. Since then, Arsenal has indeed gone from strength to strength, culminating in consecutive second-place finishes in both 2023 and 2024.

From the beginning, Arteta has had a multitude of issues on his hands. Internal dissension, financial issues, as well as fights were just some of the factors that caused him sleepless nights. From the behaviour of Gabonese star Aubameyang – with his lateness and refusal to train, to striker Lacazette picking fights with academy players, to difficulty in buying world-class players, Arteta’s no-nonsense and disciplined solutions to these earned him the plaudits of fans as well as the owners.

And although Arteta has undoubtedly transformed the club, I believe that consecutive 2nd place finishes in the league, as well as embarrassing knockouts in Europe, are not acceptable at this stage for a manager who has been given more than enough financial support.

I further believe that Arsenal is a club that has now stagnated, and without a change at the helm, the team may not win a single item of silverware in the coming years.

The reasons why I wish for Arteta’s departure are many, but below, I simply present an outline of a few: 

Firstly, his reliance on two or three individuals, such as Saka and Ødegaard, results in the effects of their absences being clearly seen on the team. In my opinion, it is Arteta’s lack of risk-taking that has inhibited Arsenal’s chances of further success. Without those two, Arsenal’s lineups often look a complete mess, as can be observed through how Arteta played Trossard in Ødegaard’s place during his recent injury, and despite some dismal performances, Arteta still prefers this to giving some academy players (like Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly) major opportunities.

Another reason, is Arteta’s reluctance to bring in a proper striker. In Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United, this was especially noticeable. Havertz missed a vital penalty in the shoot-out at the end, and none of the other penalty-takers for Arsenal were even forwards. And now, with Gabriel Jesus having torn his ACL again, there still seems to be no urgency shown by Arteta, in trying to get a proper goal-scorer. 

Finally, I would argue that another problem with Arteta, is that his defensive strategies simply fall apart from time to time. Having five centre-backs on the pitch, and still conceding goals, isn’t good enough. Arteta likely believes that buying tall players makes Arsenal appear intimidating, as Merino said when he joined the club, that Arsenal were ‘like a basketball team’. However, what is the point of continuously buying tall players, like Havertz, if quite often, they are unable to even clear a one-on-one? 

Overall, Arteta’s time at the club hasn’t been bad by any measure. Despite this, within the next two seasons, if the team doesn’t win any silverware, I think a change of manager will be the only way to change Arsenal’s fortunes.