Mikel Arteta finally got his hands on the Premier League trophy after three successive second-placed finishes. Arsenal won the 2025-26 title by seven points, ending a 22-year wait to take the trophy back to north London.
Despite being up against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City machine, the Gunners led the way for almost the entire season and were able to celebrate with their travelling support after a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace. Martin Odegaard became the club's first captain to lift the iconic silverware since Patrick Vieira at the end of the 'Invincibles' campaign.
That 2003-04 Arsenal team is among the best in the division's history and there will now be an argument made by some that the current Gunners squad are qualified to be in that conversation. However, Arteta snubbed both when naming the 'best in Premier League history'.
Mikel Arteta Overlooks Arsenal as Premier League's Greatest Side
Arsenal Players and Mikel Arteta With the Premier League Trophy
As mentioned, Arsenal have suffered heartbreak in the last three Premier League seasons. First, they had back-to-back second-place finishes behind Man City in 2022-23 and 2023-24, then they were runners-up to Arne Slot's Liverpool in 2024-25.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the trophy lift at Selhurst Park, Arteta explained how hard it was to get over the line with talented teams pushing them all the way. He said: "We had to raise our level because you have opposition who are constantly asking that question of you."
He went one step further when discussing the team chasing them this term. The Spaniard labelled Man City as the best team in the division's history, and Guardiola as world football's top manager, saying:
"In my opinion, we had the best team in the history of this competition pushing us. In Pep, by far he is the best manager in the world.
To do it with those circumstances and in the manner we did it, it is all about the we in this team. I loved every minute of it."
That would put the Citizens ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson's iconic Manchester United teams and Jurgen Klopp's relentless Liverpool side. However, the period of dominance the men in sky blue have enjoyed under Guardiola is hard to argue with.
Arteta had first-hand experience of the juggernaut built at the Etihad over Guardiola's 10-year spell as he worked as the Catalan-born tactician's assistant manager. The first team to win the Premier League four times in a row and achieve 100 points in a single term are undeniably up there.
Arteta Doubted His Ability to Win the League With Arsenal
Mikel Arteta
Despite getting his team over the line, the 44-year-old has admitted he did have moments where he didn't know if he was the right man to bring the title home. He was very honest as he claimed he now feels relief at finally getting it done.
He said: "There are doubts… I think doubts and an understanding that maybe, OK, I've been able to take them all the way here but maybe somebody else has to come and do the final job. But thank God. I feel a lot of joy and honestly a little bit of relief.
"I can control certain things but there are many things that are out of your hands, and that's why you need the best people around you. Sometimes when you doubt yourself, to have people as well next to you to say, no, we're going to do it and we're going to do it with you."