Martin Keown has delivered a strong message to Mikel Arteta ahead of the upcoming season, stressing that the time has come for the Arsenal manager to secure silverware. While Arteta has made significant strides in transforming the culture and competitiveness of the team, Keown believes success must now be measured in trophies rather than progress alone.
Since taking charge in late 2019, Arteta has overseen a remarkable shift in the environment at the Emirates, shaping Arsenal into genuine challengers for the most prestigious honours. Under his guidance, the club has re-established itself among Europe’s elite, reaching the semi-final stages of the Champions League last season, while also achieving a second-place finish in the domestic league. These achievements highlight improvement, yet they also raise expectations that the side must now go one step further and lift silverware.
Keown’s Call for Silverware
Despite acknowledging the progress under Arteta’s tenure, Keown has emphasised that the next logical step is turning potential into tangible success. Speaking to Talk Sport, he explained, “I think they [Arsenal] need to win trophies. You know, not to win trophies since 2020…Manchester United still managed to win more trophies than Arsenal since both those two great managers [Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger] have gone.
“One trophy for [Mikel] Arteta is not enough. He needs to put some trophies in the cabinet. So, that is an overriding factor; he has to become a winner now.”
His comments reflect the sentiments of many supporters who believe that consistent improvement must ultimately be validated by collecting major honours. Keown’s remarks serve both as recognition of Arteta’s achievements and as a reminder that results and trophies define football at the highest level.
The Challenge Ahead
The forthcoming season will be no less demanding, as rivals across the league have invested heavily in strengthening their squads. Arsenal, therefore, faces a considerable challenge, not only in competing but also in delivering silverware in an environment of increasing competition. While progress is clear, the expectation from former players, supporters, and pundits alike is that the coming campaign must bring trophies back to the Emirates.
Arteta himself is acutely aware of this reality, and with the team’s recent near successes, the pressure to convert progress into victory has never been greater. This season, the measure of his leadership will no longer rest solely on improvement, but on whether Arsenal can finally lift the trophies that have eluded them in recent years.
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Well Martin, you won’t be popular on here, mentioning that, with some. We don’t want winners on here thank you🤣🤣
Didn’t Arteta state pretty much the same thing though? All reasonable fans know it’s time to win trophies and this is an opinion shared by the manager and the players as well. This is what Arteta said:
“In terms of performance, when we look at the last three years of the Premier League, we are the team that has scored the most points. But we still need to win a major title. That is what we are missing, because the rest is done.”
So a coach said he wants to win trophies?
Insightful
You missed the point I was making, but it’s fine. It’s Reggie I was replying to, not you.
Arteta lied on the most point though.
Man City has 4 more points than us in the last 3 seasons.
Well said, Martin. Although pretty obvious to some of us, it does reinforce what Arteta himself was quoted as saying in an article here yesterday: “We need a major trophy”. How can it be otherwise?
I’m afraid some posts over the past few days on JA have confused process (“the journey”) with outcome (“the destination”) in as far as what has happened at Arsenal under Arteta since 2019-20. Yes, a lot of good work has been done but the former is not an end in itself, or certainly shouldn’t be.
Alternatives put forward to somehow mitigate not winning silverware (like a “Top 4 finish” is as good etc.) along with “reasons” why it’s difficult to win anything – although it hasn’t prevented City, Liverpool, Utd, Palace, Newcastle, Sp*rs and Chelsea picking up silverware over the last two seasons – can’t, and won’t, cut it, indefinitely.
That’s why it looks to me, as I’ve said previously, like the coming 2025-26 season will be the crunch for Arteta at Arsenal. All we can do is wish him well, hope for the best – and keep our fingers crossed!
Bertie,
A very good piece by your goodself. I totally agree with all your sentiments. 👍
Derek
Well, having read so much “blather” about why it’s somehow different for Arteta/Arsenal than for any other top EPL club, bar none, I’m glad that within the space of 24 hours there seems to be a slow head of steam building from Arteta himself (no less), now Keown, and most recently an article on JA just now, “Opinion: Success for Arsenal isn’t complicated”, that actually focuses on the obvious.
Arsenal needs a trophy, not reasons why we should be content it’s OK that we don’t have one. As the JA article puts it, in the absence of silverware in 2025-26: “the manager will be forced to answer some pretty uncomfortable questions next summer.” I’m not at all sure, in those circumstances, he’ll have the answers.
A very good piece on sky sports last week about this topic .
A good read
👍
Yes, obvious. The next level above finishing second is finishing first. No possible “reasons” for doing otherwise.
Injuries, referees, wrong var decisions, cup draws are certainly reasons and factors for consideration and they are not excuses.
Ken1945
Yes, that’s true, but they’re not factors specific to Arsenal. In any case, they haven’t been a factor (to a major extent, anyway) in every single season since 2019-20.
I don’t know how many EPL clubs, in all, have won trophies over that period, but seven have in the last two seasons, so …
How many teams have won the league since Arteta arrived though Bertie? Its 2 rather than other teams winning those minor trophies- because that’s what they are as far as most who post are concerned .
But the benchmark is the league and only 2 clubs have prevailed
And no other team deals with these things, right ok!
👍 @PJ -SA
👍ken1945 Among many other considerations as opposed to turning a blind eye toward anything other than the final table position or trophy presentation.
@ken1945
If what your list is suggesting we shouldn’t expect any trophy from Arteta till the EPL come to our aide and favor us with Injuries, referees, wrong var decisions, cup draws, then we can wait till our generation pass over.
Bobs, please read my reply at 3.30pm and, just now, to Bertie.
I didn’t say they were unique to The Arsenal though did I?
What I was replying to was the view that the club (any club) can only be judged their position from last season.
There are many considerations to be considered.
Just remember ken1945, Trophy or bust. Everything else is irrelevant.🤦♂️
I’m sure the likes of Wigan and Birmingham fans will argue your simplistic view of irrelevance BB.
I truly hope so ken1945. Spot on. It would be a very simplistic view if I really felt that way. There are so many on here who seem to think in these terms that I can see how you didn’t pick up on my sarcasm.
BB
If the Shoba person – can’t place the name right now – can get away with sarcasm – we all deserve to
I’ve just read one too many Far Side comics.
SueP,
The Shoba Reality Show is the name your thinking of. 👍
Somehow some people will look for excuses to justify not winning silverwares.
That won’t change.
To them it’s always “the status-quo is the best you can get” .They can’t see beyond there nose.
It’s mindset thing.
A lot to be upbeat about though.
We have a long season ahead of us.
Simply explanations for the realities we perceive. Accurate, inaccurate, bad, good, neither? Summarily dismissed? I hope not.
Somehow some people will only judge a season on trophies and ignore what has gone on during said season.
It was as clear as the nose on my face that the horrific run of long term injuries played an enormous part of our last season and to ignore that is a mindset for those who measure the club they support on trophies only.
ken1945. I have to give you credit with regard to the injuries and relatively thin squad. I remember this time last year there was a bit of a debate as to whether it was better to go with a smaller than necessary squad and you were firmly in the more depth camp. As it turned out, a very good call on your part. 👍
Thank you BB.
I’m sorry I didn’t pick up on your sarcasm, as we usually agree on most things Arsenal.
ken1945
But that’s last season, 2024-25. What about the previous four seasons 2020-21 to 2023-24? You can’t take a season in isolation and say injuries played a part and ignore all the others when considering the overall record
It really isn’t a question of measuring the club on “trophies only”, but it’s equally foolish to suppose that at the very top of the professional game (where Arsenal strives/deserves to be) that trophies are of somehow limited importance. They are the factor, the “end product”, which defines the top clubs from one another; and to the fans of clubs which win silverware regularly, they certainly are important. Perhaps that’s the problem here?
In my opinion, we were never really good enough to win the league between 21-24. City, the treble winners were simply better than us in terms of quality and quantity (depth). I’d say even Liverpool were better than us over that period,just derailed by injuries. There’s no shame in coming second to a much better team. My only complaint is we should have done better in the cups.
This season (25-26) is the first time under Arteta that I feel the issue of depth has been properly addressed and we have quality all over the pitch.
Trophies are certainly important but there is need for context. For instance,expecting the latter Wenger teams to win the Prem would have been unrealistic,except perhaps 2016-the injury to Santi really affected us. There were just better teams in the league in those years .In the same vein, City were better than us, until last year. It’s a different story now.
Of course we weren’t Onyango as you rightly point out. The idea that the squad that Arteta got was in any shape to win the league is hilarious. At various points over the last 5+ years – particularly the earlier ones – Arteta was supposed to have coached them all to be world beaters. Those that departed haven’t been world beaters elsewhere
It’s a view on Arteta that divides Once you have pitched – it’s hard to move from one position to another
Hypocrisy Sue, that’s what it’s called.
People will say Arteta has spent 6 seasons and is unable to win the league, So this season he must.
Fact is in Arteta’s first two full season nobody even dare to dream of league triumph. Third season we are all stunned by the team league run, though unsuccessful, against all expectations. Hence, we’ve only realistically competed for the league in the last two seasons finishing second on both occasions.
The unforgivable, though, is going trophy less for 6 seasons. So, that should be the target, winning a trophy, whatever trophy that is.
I’m not saying that trophies are unimportant, what I am saying is that they are not the be all and end all of a successful club and that’s why I gave Wigan and Birmingham as perfect examples.
I am happy that our club is financially sound and run as an example to others.
Being in the top flight of English football for 100 years consecutively is also something
to be proud of.
I recall city115 being relegated to the third level of football, but their fanbase remained loyal with crowds of 30,000 staying loyal, seeing the club as more important than winning a trophy.
Other clubs like Sunderland, Liverpool, Spuds to name a few have stayed true to supporting their club’s time when not winning trophies.
I haven’t seen or heard of our own supporters giving up their season tickets, despite not winning trophies and I am certain that will continue.
That doesn’t mean I don’t want to see the club winning trophies, of course I do.
But I’m not obsessed with it, while I am more concerned with our club being run properly and ensuring that 100 years of top flight football continues for another ten decades for future Gooners.
That was a reply to Bertie.
After watching Sunderland on MOTD, I should add their supporters to that list Bertie?!
No team has ever won the league with key players out injured… It’s just not possible. Injury is an excuse but a genuine one
Agree with ken1945.. I just hope for some really exciting football.