Mikel Arteta is approaching his sixth full season as Arsenal manager, and expectations are higher than ever. The Spaniard has received strong backing from the club’s hierarchy throughout his tenure and has undoubtedly transformed the team into a more competitive and consistent outfit. Since his arrival, Arsenal’s style of play has become more dynamic, and they have consistently been in the title conversation over the last two seasons.
However, despite this evident progress, the lack of major trophies has begun to draw criticism. Arteta’s only silverware so far remains the FA Cup win in 2020, and for a club of Arsenal’s stature, that is not sufficient over such a prolonged period. Supporters and pundits alike are beginning to question whether good football and high win percentages matter if they are not accompanied by tangible success.
Trophy Expectations at an All-Time High
As Arsenal prepare for the 2025/2026 campaign, there is a growing feeling that the time has come for the club to finally lift significant honours under Arteta’s leadership. With a solid squad and back-to-back top-tier campaigns, the foundation is in place. The team appears close to reaching the next level, but the lingering question remains: can Arteta deliver when it matters most?
According to Talk Sport, former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi believes the time for excuses is over. In his view, next season is a make-or-break year for the Arsenal boss. He stated, “They’re solid, they’re playing well, the defence is good, the midfield is good. I think he has built a solid team, but is he the guy to take them to the next level?
“The next level is winning the Premier League and winning the Champions League – sometimes I do think a fresh voice is needed. Now he has been there for five or six years, I give him one more year.
“Give him next season, [but] if he doesn’t do it, I think for his sake it is better to just walk. Then he is not the guy to be able to do it. Get someone new, get someone fresh.”
Time Running Out for Arteta?
Arteta is well aware of what is expected of him. The support and patience afforded to him thus far will not last indefinitely if the club continues to fall short in key moments. With a strong core of players and momentum built over successive seasons, next term could be his best chance to deliver a Premier League title or challenge meaningfully in the Champions League.
Should he fail to bring home major silverware, even his most ardent supporters may begin to question whether a new approach is required.
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Should have done the right thing and walked 6 weeks before this season finished .
But…but … he loves Arsenal ,(not the lovely contract our club gave him).
The plain and simple truth: as long as this club is making money, Arteta will be going nowhere.
This club doesn’t seem to be interested in winning anything. Over the last few transfer windows, this club refused to make statement signings to get us over the line. We shouldn’t anything better in this window.
Again, we are very slow out of the starting block. Not a single player singed so far.
Really think our chief PR (public relations) master, Mikel Arteta, will just walk away from his 15M charity payout. Think again.
Arteta is going nowhere. Period
This thing is only going to get more intense, more questions, more accountability and more scrutiny. It will be huge next season and it will be make or break. 6 years is rediculously too long to say you can’t win whats required. If he doesn’t do it next year, there will not be many media people backing Arteta. He has nowhere to hide.
If people are coming out to support the views of the likes of Obi Mikel then the world has truly gone mad. These are the players that benefited from the huge financial doping that allowed Chelsea to become such a powerhouse in the PL. This guy laughed off the over a billion that Chelsea have spent recently by suggesting that they had to spend this much as a team in transition.
Unfortunately, we have some joke fans who will support anything as long as it is anti-Arteta.
As usual David the point and facts have flown straight over your head. Yet another lame excuse from you to try and protect failure.
You said Arteta is approaching 6th season. 6th or 7th? Arsenal’s positions in Arteta era read 8th, 8th, 5th, 2nd, 2nd & 2nd. Obi Mikel is 100% correct. Arteta is a clever guy he knows it well. His countdown has begun since Arsenal were eliminated by PSG. Starting from pre season matches v Spurs and Newcastle, he is under the microscope. Henry also added fuel on the fire last week implying Arteta should not have been confined with that solitary FA Cup in his 1st season. Even winning smaller trophies will not save him from the sack. It is only Arsenal and the Vatican that give longer tenures for the incumbent. Other top clubs hate stagnation.
Another dim witted ex player who has now created his own podcast to spurt nonsense.
We started the season with arteta stating ” we have a small squad ” jesus got injured a few weeks before the season started, zinchenko shortly after but was woefully out of form and ultimately become unreliable due to injury issues. That is two players who were purchased two seasons back who helped take us to cl places and contesting for a title. Last season they had injury issues – yet we managed to come second even though lb was a problem area until kiwior deputised, martinelli had injury issues and was out of form and he struggled with playing alongside havertz , the whole left side was an issue. This season injury issues . People will say why wasn’t a striker signed …. last summer we had to sign a midfielder as partey last season was constantly injured, lb had to be addressed , yes calafiori has had his problems but myles came through . Raya had to be paid for and ultimately the second installment to West ham for rice had to be paid. Throughout the season injuries – even rice only started to play well towards the last few months only. With our makeshift 11 we still came second ! Have people actually looked at our bench these past few months it was to its bones
To build a squad that can compete and win does take time – yes domestic cups should have been taken more seriously but we faced Newcastle who won the league cup and put in a pitiful performance against united in the fa cup.
Mikel was part of a Chelsea team where money no was object and they were stock piling young players who wouldn’t even play for them…. when have arsenal had that luxury? We were that far behind when arteta took over did people honestly believe – after 3years we would be winning the PL and CL?
I say 3 years because look at arteta first few seasons and the players who came in, the size of the squad etc , we took a huge leap when we signed jesus and zinchenko and had a title challenge against city
And, top post.
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Why would or should Arteta walk away if Arsenal don’t win a trophy? It’s not what managers under contract do generally speaking especially if they’re doing a good job
I do however, think that MA is approaching a critical stage in his time at Arsenal as the vultures are beginning to circle again. Hopefully the final pieces of the jigsaw in terms of the summer signings make the difference and significant injuries become rooted in the past
‘The vultures are beginning to circle’. I like it. Can we name just one or two of them? The miraculous Renee for me…. Arsene who? Renee who?
“can we name just one or two of them?
The writer of this unnecessary article for starters Ambachew
Sue, you are not looking at the bigger picture and the storm that is brewing. Its not about jon obi konobi, its about failing. And the thing is only going to grow.
I think I am Reggie
What is wrong with saying the vultures are beginning to circle? It will be 6 years in December and progress hasn’t been swift enough in some quarters. It’s understandable now that Arteta has to step up and as much as I support him, the clock is ticking on him making the leap to a meaningful title.
I still believe he has been very good for Arsenal whilst you don’t. I remember a couple of years or so ago suggesting that Arteta should have turned things around more quickly. If that has been the way you think about Arteta’s impact then finishing 2nd 3 times running isn’t going to cut it. I have taken on board the power of City and Pep and then last season’s disruption through injuries but also early on with the red cards. I also considered Arteta’s relative inexperience in his role. Those considerations won’t last forever and that’s why I believe Arteta has to show that he is learning and developing at all levels in management
Sorry Sue, I got your post mixed up, it wasn’t you who called obi one kinobi out and made out he was talking crap. It was someone else. Reading your post again, i agree.
I agree with Obi Mikel – I do think there comes a point where you’ve reached a stagnation point and a refresh is needed. It doesn’t always go that way – I think there will be some cases where a manager has been at a club for a while and eventually everything clicks into place, but normally it stagnates before a decline. Arteta has improved things massively in his time here imo – we were dreadful before he joined and we certainly aren’t dreadful now – but I thought this season would have been do or die. I suppose, being charitable, you could write this season off due to injuries, but I wouldn’t go beyond next season if it’s more of the same. The tipping point will eventually come where the really key (extremely difficult to replace) players start to want to leave. We need to win something big to avoid that happening.
Of course you agree with Obi.
Consider the context in which Obi himself won trophies and why Arsenal found it difficult to win trophies despite having one of the world’s great managers at the time.
Then consider our current circumstances and the contemporary top clubs that we are up against.
This season has been difficult but considering the injury problems and limited investment it’s not difficult to see why we haven’t reached the levels of the last couple of seasons.
The same Obi you are agreeing with was quite happy to rationalise Chelsea’s limited progress in the last few years by claiming that they have needed to spend over a billion to manage a period of transition.
But we don’t give a monkeys about Chelsea failure. Its our own? Trying to deflect again David
I don’t believe that Arsenal are a failure. I have also not described Chelsea’s situation as a failure either. If you want to do so that is up to you.
You will find that my perspectives consider circumstances and nuance which I would normally expect from adults on a forum. I certainly don’t agree with the binary positions some are taking.
I don’t consider 3 second places in one of the strongest leagues in the world and SF in the CL a failure.
Obi’s comments are questionable as he was quick to give Chelsea a pass whilst criticising Arsenal under Arteta despite the fact that they have spent a lot more during the same time period. They were also in a stronger position to start with. It does not make sense for him to imply that it is a better strategy to hire and fire managers. The periods when this approach was successful for Chelsea was when they could outspend almost every other team in the PL. Obi benefited from this situation. It does not give him the right to pontificate about another club.
Arsenal have not been able to spend as Chelsea have in the last 2 decades. His views on Arsenal are unwarranted and unreasonable.
But again David it isn’t about obi one kinobi and what he thinks, its about the situation and how it will get more harder for Arteta and Arsenal, if he fails for the 6th year. You don’t get it.
I agree with his opinion – couldn’t care less about who he played for previously, or what he thinks about something else
I swear you didn’t even read my comment – we agreed on lots of points. I think you just saw me say I agree with Obi Mikel and didn’t bother reading the rest
David has his blinkers on🤣🤣
And you?
You mentioned it yourself you didn’t like Mikel and you never believed he will be successful here even before he was appointed……
That feeling override logic mate….
Look at your self before accusing others…..
Arteta will be here til the end of his contract at the very least. This is an obvious truth