Arsenal Managers: All-time list of Gunners bosses, and how long they lasted
Cameron Smith
- 24 Mar 2024 12:15 GMT
- 4 min read
Arsenal have been transformed by Mikel Arteta over the past year, with the Spaniard bringing Champions League football back to the Emirates for the first time since 2016 thanks to their second-place finish in the 2022-23 Premier League season.
Arteta is now challenging for the Premier League title once again during the 2023-24 season.
Arsene Wenger was the manager the last time Arsenal won the Premier League, and the Frenchman was the cornerstone of the Gunners’ success throughout the late 1990s and 2000s. Since his departure, however, the glory days at Arsenal have seemed like a distant memory.
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The 2020 FA Cup triumph is the only trophy the club have won since Wenger left in 2018. Arsenal have also not lifted the Premier League since 2004, when they went the whole season unbeaten in the league.
But Arteta has been lauded for his work at the Emirates; his work with younger players has been a particular strength and he pushed Man City all the way in the 2022-23 title race before falling just short.
He is hoping to go one better in 2023-24.
In fact, Arteta currently possesses the best win percentage of any permanent Arsenal manager in history (59%), closely followed by Wenger (57%) and Unai Emery (55%), the man he replaced in the Emirates dugout in late 2019.
READ MORE: Which football managers have been sacked this season?
While the Gunners have enjoyed a relatively successful period over the course of the past 20 years, their best period came in the 1930s, with five league titles won during that decade. Herbert Chapman and George Allison were both at the helm during that time, but neither can lay claim to the best record of any Arsenal manager.
In total, Arsenal have had 20 permanent managers in their history, with 11 enjoying periods of five or more years in charge. No manager has ever taken permanent charge in two separate spells in the Gunners’ history.
Arsenal managers list
| Manager | From | To | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mikel Arteta | December 2019 | Present | 59% |
| Arsene Wenger | October 1996 | May 2018 | 57% |
| Unai Emery | May 2018 | November 2019 | 55% |
| Thomas Mitchell | March 1897 | March 1898 | 51% |
| Harry Bradshaw | June 1899 | April 1904 | 50% |
| Herbert Chapman | June 1925 | January 1934 | 50% |
| George Graham | May 1986 | February 1995 | 49% |
| William Elcoat | April 1898 | February 1899 | 48% |
| Tom Whittaker | June 1947 | October 1956 | 47% |
| Bruce Rioch | June 1995 | August 1996 | 47% |
| George Allison | May 1934 | May 1947 | 46% |
| Don Howe | December 1983 | March 1986 | 46% |
| Terry Neill | July 1976 | December 1983 | 45% |
| Bertie Mee | June 1966 | May 1976 | 45% |
| Jack Crayston | October 1956 | May 1958 | 42% |
| Phil Kelso | May 1904 | February 1908 | 41% |
| George Swindin | June 1958 | May 1962 | 41% |
| Billy Wright | May 1962 | June 1966 | 38% |
| Leslie Knighton | May 1919 | May 1925 | 37% |
| George Morrell | February 1908 | April 1915 | 37% |
Who is the current Arsenal manager?
Mikel Arteta is the current Arsenal manager. He took over in December 2019, replacing Unai Emery, who was sacked by the Gunners after just 18 months in charge.
Arteta was previously a player at the Emirates, after joining the club from Everton in 2011. The Spaniard made 150 appearances for the Gunners. He scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists during a five-year career for Arsenal.
After retiring from professional football, he became Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. Arteta spent three years in this role, winning seven trophies along the way, before he was appointed as Arsenal manager in 2019.
As manager at Arsenal, Arteta won the 2020 FA Cup and the FA Community Shield in 2020 and 2023.
He led Arsenal to second place in the 2022-23 Premier League.
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