Arsenal Manager: Current Staff and Historical Overview

Arsenal Football Club is widely recognized for its legendary managers, with Arsène Wenger standing out as the most successful in the club's history. Since Wenger's departure, the club has struggled to reclaim the Premier League title they last won in 2004, famously unbeaten that season. Although the leadership seems content with trophies like the Community Shield and FA Cup, Arsenal’s fans still yearn for a league championship.

The Gunners have secured 47 trophies overall but have yet to win a European title. As North London's oldest club, Arsenal faces rivals such as Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, both of whom have multiple European honors. In the 2024-25 season, Tottenham claimed the UEFA Europa League, marking their second European trophy, while Arsenal continues to chase their maiden UEFA Champions League triumph.

Mikel Arteta: Background and Career

Mikel Arteta, the current Arsenal manager, is a former Spanish midfielder who began his career at La Masia, Barcelona's prestigious academy. He made his professional breakthrough with Rangers in Scotland, where he developed a unique playing style marked by skill and tactical intelligence, though often underrated.

Arteta’s prime years were spent at Everton, and he also played under Arsène Wenger at Arsenal before transitioning into coaching. He served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City for several seasons, gaining valuable experience. Since taking charge at Arsenal in December 2019, Arteta has been rebuilding the squad. While silverware has been limited during his tenure, there’s hope his evolving tactics will bring more trophies soon.

Arteta's Tactical Approach

Arsenal under Arteta focuses on structured positional play combined with a high pressing game—a hybrid style drawing from both Guardiola’s emphasis on possession and Klopp’s gegenpressing. This approach has allowed Arsenal to control matches against both defensive low-block teams and aggressive pressing opponents, highlighted by their impressive victory over Real Madrid in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, where they dominated the midfield.

Current Arsenal Coaching Staff

• 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 Specialist: Nicolas Jover

Nicolas Jover, born October 28, 1981, in Germany, is Arsenal's set-piece coach. Starting as a video analyst at Montpellier, Jover gained attention for his work at Manchester City before joining Arsenal in 2021. His impact is clear; in the 2023-24 Premier League season, Arsenal scored 20 set-piece goals—the highest in the league—with 16 coming from corners, matching the single-season record.

Timeline of Arsenal Managers

• Thomas Mitchell (Scotland): Mar 30, 1897 - Mar 10, 1898 | Matches: 45 | Wins: 23 | Draws: 8 | Losses: 14 | GF: 106 | GA: 79 | Win %: 51.11 | Major Trophies: None
• William Elcoat (England): Apr 11, 1898 - Feb 16, 1899 | Matches: 44 | Wins: 21 | Draws: 6 | Losses: 17 | GF: 86 | GA: 67 | Win %: 47.73 | Major Trophies: None
• Arthur Kennedy (England): Feb 21, 1899 - Apr 29, 1899 | Matches: 15 | Wins: 8 | Draws: 3 | Losses: 4 | GF: 31 | GA: 17 | Win %: 53.33 | Major Trophies: None
• Harry Bradshaw (England): Jun 30, 1899 - Apr 30, 1904 | Matches: 235 | Wins: 118 | Draws: 44 | Losses: 73 | GF: 403 | GA: 237 | Win %: 50.21 | Major Trophies: None
• Phil Kelso (Scotland): May 1, 1904 - Feb 9, 1908 | Matches: 152 | Wins: 63 | Draws: 31 | Losses: 58 | GF: 225 | GA: 229 | Win %: 41.45 | Major Trophies: None
• George Morrell (Scotland): Feb 10, 1908 - Apr 13, 1915 | Matches: 309 | Wins: 113 | Draws: 74 | Losses: 122 | GF: 392 | GA: 428 | Win %: 36.57 | Major Trophies: None
• James McEwen (England): Apr 19, 1915 - May 24, 1919 | Matches: 2 | Wins: 1 | Draws: 0 | Losses: 1 | GF: 7 | GA: 3 | Win %: 50.00 | Major Trophies: None
• Leslie Knighton (England): May 25, 1919 - May 16, 1925 | Matches: 286 | Wins: 105 | Draws: 63 | Losses: 118 | GF: 367 | GA: 401 | Win %: 36.71 | Major Trophies: None
• Herbert Chapman (England): Jun 11, 1925 - Jan 6, 1934 | Matches: 411 | Wins: 204 | Draws: 97 | Losses: 110 | GF: 879 | GA: 616 | Win %: 49.64 | Major Trophies: 2× First Division, 1× FA Cup, 3× Charity Shield
• Joe Shaw (England): Jan 6, 1934 - May 28, 1934 | Matches: 23 | Wins: 14 | Draws: 3 | Losses: 6 | GF: 44 | GA: 29 | Win %: 60.87 | Major Trophies: 1× First Division
• George Allison (England): May 28, 1934 - May 31, 1947 | Matches: 279 | Wins: 129 | Draws: 74 | Losses: 76 | GF: 534 | GA: 327 | Win %: 46.24 | Major Trophies: 2× First Division, 1× FA Cup, 2× Charity Shield
• Tom Whittaker (England): Jun 2, 1947 - Oct 24, 1956 | Matches: 430 | Wins: 203 | Draws: 106 | Losses: 121 | GF: 802 | GA: 568 | Win %: 47.21 | Major Trophies: 2× First Division, 1× FA Cup, 2× Charity Shield
• Jack Crayston (England): Oct 24, 1956 - May 19, 1958 | Matches: 81 | Wins: 34 | Draws: 17 | Losses: 30 | GF: 148 | GA: 151 | Win %: 41.98 | Major Trophies: None
• George Swindin (England): Jun 21, 1958 - May 1, 1962 | Matches: 186 | Wins: 76 | Draws: 43 | Losses: 67 | GF: 336 | GA: 330 | Win %: 40.86 | Major Trophies: None
• Billy Wright (England): May 1, 1962 - Jun 13, 1966 | Matches: 182 | Wins: 70 | Draws: 43 | Losses: 69 | GF: 336 | GA: 330 | Win %: 38.46 | Major Trophies: None
• Bertie Mee (England): Jun 20, 1966 - May 4, 1976 | Matches: 539 | Wins: 241 | Draws: 148 | Losses: 150 | GF: 739 | GA: 542 | Win %: 44.71 | Major Trophies: 1× First Division, 1× FA Cup, 1× Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
• Terry Neill (Northern Ireland): Jul 9, 1976 - Dec 16, 1983 | Matches: 416 | Wins: 187 | Draws: 117 | Losses: 112 | GF: 601 | GA: 446 | Win %: 44.95 | Major Trophies: 1× FA Cup
• Don Howe (England): Dec 16, 1983 - Mar 22, 1986 | Matches: 117 | Wins: 54 | Draws: 32 | Losses: 31 | GF: 187 | GA: 142 | Win %: 46.15 | Major Trophies: None
• Steve Burtenshaw (England): Mar 23, 1986 - May 14, 1986 | Matches: 11 | Wins: 3 | Draws: 2 | Losses: 6 | GF: 7 | GA: 15 | Win %: 27.27 | Major Trophies: None
• George Graham (Scotland): May 14, 1986 - Feb 21, 1995 | Matches: 460 | Wins: 225 | Draws: 133 | Losses: 102 | GF: 711 | GA: 403 | Win %: 48.91 | Major Trophies: 2× First Division, 1× FA Cup, 2× League Cup, 1× Cup Winners' Cup, 1× Charity Shield
• Stewart Houston (Scotland): Feb 21, 1995 - Jun 15, 1995 | Matches: 19 | Wins: 7 | Draws: 3 | Losses: 9 | GF: 29 | GA: 25 | Win %: 36.84 | Major Trophies: None
• Bruce Rioch (Scotland): Jun 15, 1995 - Aug 12, 1996 | Matches: 47 | Wins: 22 | Draws: 15 | Losses: 10 | GF: 67 | GA: 37 | Win %: 46.81 | Major Trophies: None
• Stewart Houston (Scotland): Aug 12, 1996 - Sep 13, 1996 | Matches: 6 | Wins: 2 | Draws: 2 | Losses: 2 | GF: 11 | GA: 10 | Win %: 33.33 | Major Trophies: None
• Pat Rice (Northern Ireland): Sep 13, 1996 - Sep 30, 1996 | Matches: 4 | Wins: 3 | Draws: 0 | Losses: 1 | GF: 10 | GA: 4 | Win %: 75.00 | Major Trophies: None
• Arsène Wenger (France): Oct 1, 1996 - May 13, 2018 | Matches: 1,235 | Wins: 707 | Draws: 280 | Losses: 248 | GF: 2156 | GA: 1147 | Win %: 57.25 | Major Trophies: 3× Premier League, 7× FA Cup, 7× Charity Shield
• Unai Emery (Spain): May 23, 2018 - Nov 29, 2019 | Matches: 78 | Wins: 43 | Draws: 16 | Losses: 19 | GF: 152 | GA: 100 | Win %: 55.13 | Major Trophies: None
• Freddie Ljungberg (Sweden, interim): Nov 29, 2019 - Dec 21, 2019 | Matches: 6 | Wins: 1 | Draws: 3 | Losses: 2 | GF: 8 | GA: 10 | Win %: 16.67 | Major Trophies: None
• Mikel Arteta (Spain): Dec 22, 2019 - Present (as of Dec 2024) | Matches: 255 | Wins: 151 | Draws: 44 | Losses: 60 | GF: 480 | GA: 250 | Win %: 59.22 | Major Trophies: 1× FA Cup, 2× Community Shield

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who manages Arsenal currently? Mikel Arteta is Arsenal's current manager.
• Who is regarded as Arsenal’s greatest manager? Arsène Wenger holds that distinction.
• Which clubs did Arteta play for? He played for Barcelona B, Paris Saint-Germain, Rangers, Real Sociedad, Everton, and Arsenal.
• When did Arteta become Arsenal manager? He was appointed on December 20, 2019.