At a Glance:
Mikel Arteta is under immense pressure to deliver silverware to the Emirates imminently.
Many think the summer should spell the end of the road for the Spaniard at Arsenal if he fails to deliver.
The ReadArsenal team have had their say on this, as well as discussing potential successors.
Arsenal are on the cusp of a historic Premier League or Champions League-winning campaign, while also facing a fourth straight season of competing for these honours but falling short. In other words, Mikel Arteta’s legacy is on the line.
The Spaniard has been in the Emirates dugout since December 2019 and has led the North London club from mid-table mediocrity to being perennial title challengers. However, to date, his list of silverware consists of a lockdown-won FA Cup and a Community Shield.
This could easily change in the next few weeks, although everything is currently on a knife-edge. The Gunners are neck-and-neck with Manchester City in the Premier League, although the Citizens have the momentum after beating Arteta’s side at the Etihad last Sunday.
Meanwhile, a Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid awaits. Arsenal steamrolled Diego Simeone’s side in the League Phase of the competition, so they should be confident about their prospects in this tie, although they’ll certainly be anxious about a potential final against either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain.
The question is, what happens to Arteta if the Gunners fail to get across the line again? We’ve asked our expert writers, and the variety in answers is fascinating.
Should Arsenal sack Mikel Arteta if he fails to win the Premier League or Champions League this season?
It’s a good question – and it’s sparked an array of different answers from the ReadArsenal team.
Alfie Cairns Culshaw (Editor)
There is a desire to win at all costs amongst the Arsenal fanbase, and understandably so. However, this creates a dynamic where anything else is deemed abject failure, and someone must be blamed (it’s almost always the manager who is pointed at in these scenarios).
In reality, while Arteta has his flaws, such as his inherent and overly pragmatic style of play, his reluctance to rotate and some of his intense man-management methods, there is no guarantee that Arsenal would start winning in his absence.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looks on
Mikel Arteta looking on ahead of Manchester City vs Arsenal
Few coaches in world football would’ve sustained four years competing for major honours with this Arsenal squad. Arteta has done, and there is little to suggest that this is going to stop any time soon. He may need to review why his team consistently falls short towards the end of seasons, but he has shown a capacity to learn and improve.
If Arsenal keep plugging away with this manager, they should get there. On the flip side, the same cannot be guaranteed for his potential replacements.
Srinivas Sadhanand (Writer)
I’d say Mikel Arteta should be sacked if he doesn’t win a trophy this season. Failure to win the Premier League would be particularly egregious, given they should’ve wrapped it up a while ago.
I just can’t see the players being in the headspace to go again next season if they don’t win something in a few weeks. Arteta’s transformed Arsenal, and he deserves immense credit for doing so, but unless players get a taste of silverware, they will never know how to get over the line. If winning breeds winning, losing breeds fear.
However, Arsenal should only sack Arteta if an elite manager is available and willing to move to North London. I know Cesc Fabregas is linked with a switch to the Emirates, but as well as he’s done at Como, he isn’t a proven winner yet.
Arteta is a top-class coach, and unless the replacement in question is world-class, just persist with him for another season. Ultimately, Arsenal’s top dogs – Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes – have also extended their contracts in the past 18 months, and Arteta’s obviously been a key reason behind them doing so.
Arsenal can’t afford to be trigger-happy by sacking Arteta, get the wrong man in, and potentially harm the future of the club in the long run.
Lachlan Garrett (Writer)
Arsenal should not be looking to replace Mikel Arteta; they should be backing him. And if they ever do need to replace him, they will quickly realise just how rare his managerial acumen actually is.
He has flaws, but every manager does. Realistically, there aren’t many about who would definitely do a better job than the Spaniard.
Jude Short (Writer)
It would be a travesty if Arsenal went without a trophy for the sixth year running, and as much as it pains me to say it, Arteta should be sacked so the project can truly have a new lease of life.
He has done so much for this club and its fanbase – overseeing the signings of marquee names like Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard has been integral. While he has showcased that the Gunners have phenomenal attacking ability, largely in the 2022/23 season, and are elite defensively, in the years following 2023, he has fleetingly been able to keep it all together to create a team that can do both on a season-long basis.
The Premier League ‘bottle’, as so many would refer to it if it happens, could not have happened in a worse possible fashion for Arteta – Arsenal were so far out in front, it seemed, and Manchester City have reeled them right back in.
Who should replace Mikel Arteta at Arsenal if he is sacked?
There are few concrete rumours around who Arteta’s eventual successor could be. Our writers have had their say.
Alfie
There are a shortage of great coaches on the market. The pool of those in the very elite is slim, and this is reflected by the likes of Chelsea and United calling on names like Liam Rosenior and Michael Carrick.
Julian Nagelsmann and Mauricio Pochettino could be available after the World Cup, although the latter certainly wouldn’t be an option given his Tottenham and Chelsea connections.
In the unlikely scenario that Arteta does actually leave as soon as this summer, there would be two obvious candidates. Andoni Iraola will be available as he’s set to leave Bournemouth, while Cesc Fabregas could be interested in a return to the Emirates in a coaching role.
The romantic side of me would entertain a Fabregas return, although the pragmatic side of me would favour the less-risky option in Iraola.
Srinivas
Everyone keeps going on about Luis Enrique, but it’s been widely reported that he’ll extend his contract at Paris Saint-Germain. I know I’m contradicting myself because he’s no serial winner as such, but I’m going to say Julian Nagelsmann.
Nagelsmann is brilliant, plays such an entertaining brand of football and is tactically innovative. I think Arsenal fans would instantly start comparing him to Arsene Wenger, purely because of how entertaining Julian Nagelsmann’s style of play is (even if it’s more press-oriented rather than about pretty passing patterns).
Football is an entertainment business, and unless you’re certain to win, fans have every right to demand fun football; something Arteta hasn’t necessarily delivered since the 2023/2024 season – although there are reasons behind that, and I’ll get into them some other day.
I can’t guarantee that Nagelsmann would be the perfect choice, which is why I’m still not sure whether Arsenal should even hire him as Mikel Arteta’s replacement if the latter goes trophyless. But at the end of the day, someone else has got to be given a shot at making Arsenal winners again, if Arteta can’t.
If every manager in world football were available, I’d probably suggest either one of Luis Enrique, Vincent Kompany or Hansi Flick, but that’s not the case.
Lachlan
Two names stand above the rest: Cesc Fabregas and Luis Enrique. Fabregas is the romantic option, a former captain and midfielder whose work at Como has been intelligent and progressive, but appointing him would mean starting again with another project and a reset of the clock.
Enrique, by contrast, is the finished product; proven at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, bringing authority, clarity, and immediate expectation. Others like Andoni Iraola are tactically impressive, but Arsenal is not just a tactical job; it requires presence, leadership, and aura.
Jude
I think Cesc Fabregas is the obvious option, considering he’s overseen an exciting project at Como and knows how to deal with a bona fide superstar already in Nico Paz.