The curtains have been drawn on another Premier League season and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have, once again, gone trophyless – and Thierry Henry’s damning assessment of the Spaniard, and his side’s 2024/25 campaign, has caught the attention of fans.
Arteta is, for good reason, widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football – but his men are running the risk of becoming English football's nearlymen given that they've secured just one piece of silverware since his appointment in December 2019.
With a squad largely shaped by former boss Unai Emery, Arteta – formerly Pep Guardiola’s understudy at Manchester City – beat Chelsea 2-1 in the 2019/20 FA Cup final thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being at the double. Since, it’s been all near misses.
Thierry Henry Makes Mikel Arteta Feelings Clear
'This year, we didn’t compete with Liverpool'
That bodes the question: why is that? Some supporters have bashed the lack of intent in the market, especially when it comes to filling their long-standing issues at centre-forward, while there are others who have reverted to citing their injury list.
Irrespective of the reason, the pressure continues to grow on the shoulders of Arteta and his entourage as their wait for silverware prolongs – and Henry, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, has chimed in with his opinion on the Spanish tactician.
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Taking their respective careers into account and how many major trophies they've won, Ruben Amorim is above Arne Slot.
“I always talk to Wrighty about this,” the former Arsenal talisman said. “I understand that at the very beginning [for Mikel Arteta] you arrive and it’s not your team, you need at the very least three or four transfer windows to change everything that you want to.”
“It takes time and you have to give a manager time to be able to implement what he wants to do. Now, for the last three years Arsenal have been in a situation where they should have at least brought one cup in or a final."
Comparing the north Londoners to an out-of-sorts Manchester United who have still managed to reach finals – and win silverware, in the process – in dark days, Henry somewhat questioned why Arteta and his men have been unable to do the same.
“Manchester United have played in five finals in the last five years, the United that everyone laughs at, whereas for Arsenal in the last three years of building, they’ve not reached a final.”
“So, I do understand when people ask the question, ‘Surely you should compete for a trophy? Or at least, reach a final. This year, we didn’t compete with Liverpool. I don’t know why people think that but we didn’t compete, not once,” the 47-year-old concluded.
Inside Arsenal's 2024/25 Campaign
Finished second in the Premier League for a third consecutive season
In 2024/25, Arsenal finished second in the Premier League standings for a third campaign on the trot, while placing much of their attention on the Champions League. They managed to reach the semi-finals of Europe's primary competition before being knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain, thus showing further progression.
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Arsenal's 2024/25 Squad Ranked
From the indispensable Bukayo Saka to the out-of-sorts Kieran Tierney, Arsenal's 2024/25 squad have been split up into five different categories.
In domestic competition, the three-time Premier League champions entered the FA Cup in the third round and were defeated on penalties by the aforementioned Red Devils. Newcastle United had their number in the League Cup as the Magpies beat them 4-0 in their two-legged semi-final encounter in January and February.