Arsenal Managers: All-time list of Gunners bosses, and how long they lasted

Cameron Smith

1 Nov 2024 22:51 GMT
4 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2022/23 — © ProShots

Arsenal have been transformed by Mikel Arteta over the past few years, 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.

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Arteta is now once again challenging for the English top flight title in 2024-25 after falling short for the second successive time last campaign.

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.

The 2020 FA Cup triumph is the only major 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 and he will be hoping to finally end Arsenal's trophy drought this season.

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.

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.

© ProShots - Arsene Wenger with Thierry Henry

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.