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

Cameron Smith

• 1 Nov 2024 17:51 CDT
• 4 min read

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.

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.

READ MORE: Chelsea Managers: All-time list of Blues bosses, and how long they lasted

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.

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

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.