By Bonface Mulyungi
Fresh on the heels of guiding the Gunners to their first league title in 22 years, Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta has been named the 2025/26 Premier League Manager of the Season, becoming the first Arsenal manager to win the award since Arsene Wenger in 2003/04.
It’s hard to argue with the accolade. The Gunners were the class side of the Premier League all season and the clear favorites to win the title after last season’s champions Liverpool faltered in September. Once Arsenal took the top spot following match day 7, it was theirs for all but two days for the rest of the season. Most importantly, it was the spot they held when the season came to an end this past Sunday.
Like the Gunners’ title, it was a hard fought path to the award. Despite the lamentations of rival fans’ claims of this season being the worst ever, this season was undeniably the toughest in recent memory. The middle of the table was tighter than ever with several European spots and relegation positions undecided until the final day of the season. The talent gap across the league shrunk, as evidenced by 7th and 11th place separated by two points and nine points separating 6th and 13th.
The award, like the title, was a long time coming. Arteta’s lengthy rebuild of his former club came with countless growing pains, including three consecutive second place finishes, but has culminated in a vindicating title 6 years after his managerial tenure began. He became not only the second youngest manager to win the Premier League, but the first to win it as manager of the club he used to play for.
Entering this season, the pressure to produce a title was at a fever pitch, but the gaffer delivered with a side that dominated in defense, played the margins deftly, and played to their strengths with set piece brilliance, all of which have become calling cards for Arteta. The key difference between past seasons and this one was Arsenal’s depth. Last summer’s transfer window saw the roster fill out at crucial positions, and the ability to rotate and reshuffle in the wake of injuries and a congested fixture list distinguished the Gunners from the rest of the chasing pack.
Arteta beat out a worthy short list of candidates, which included Brentford’s Keith Andrews, Sunderland’s Regis Le Bris, Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, and his childhood friend Adoni Iraola at Bournemouth. While each would have been fine winners for the prize, it’s almost always been awarded to the manager of the title winners, with Arne Slot winning last season and Pep winning five of the last nine.
With this award and the title behind him, Mikel Arteta has one more opportunity to further cement his, and the club’s, legacy as Arsenal head to Budapest to face Paris St. Germain in the Champions League final this Saturday.
