List of last 10 Arsenal Managers

Arsenal has been one of the most successful clubs in the English Premier League. Their domestic and global success has been hugely dependent on some of the greatest Arsenal managers over the years. In the history of the club, they have just been relegated once, that too happened in 1913, epitomizing the standards set by these managers. Several great Arsenal managers have been instrumental in different decades to take the club to new heights.

From Arsene Wenger to Mikel Arteta, from Unai Emery to George Graham, multiple managers have played key roles in bringing glorious accolades like Premier League title, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. After Wenger left the Gunners, they went through a dark patch for several years. However, in recent years, one of the best Arsenal managers, Mikel Arteta has brought the English club on the right track. The last 10 Arsenal managers have been influential in reshaping the club’s history this century. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the last 10 greatest Arsenal managers in the last 20 years.

List of Top 10 Arsenal Managers

List of Best Arsenal Managers (Last 10)

10. Don Howe

Don Howe had a long history with the Gunners, which played as a leverage in making him one of the greatest Arsenal managers. After Terry Neill was sacked, Howe joined the North London club in 1983 and stayed over three years on the white sidelines. He came to the Emirates Stadium with proven European football experience which he garnered during his one year stint with the Turkish club, Galatasaray.

However, Howe could not produce big results at Arsenal which were necessary tools for his long run as the club’s manager. The Gunners finished either sixth or seventh under him and couldn’t win any trophy in those years.

9. Steve Burtenshaw

Steve Burtenshaw had a brief tenure as an Arsenal manager. Following the departure of Don Howe, he was appointed as a caretaker manager by the Gunners while the hunt for a perfect coach continued. Burtenshaw arrived at Arsenal on 23rd March in 1986 and left them on 14th May in the same year. In just less than 60 days of his stay at the Emirates Stadium, he failed to register a victory in the crucial games against big teams in the Premier League.

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8. George Graham

George Graham immediately took over as the new Arsenal manager, replacing Steve Burtenshaw in 1986. The Scottish coach is one of the longest-serving managers in the history of the Gunners. He began his coaching career at the top level with Millwall. After spending four years in the EFL Championship and League One stage, Graham came to the English top flight with lots of promises.

Graham began to make a squad overhaul at Arsenal in order to make the team competitive yet again in the domestic tournaments. New attacking tactics, new transfer policies, and reliance on the youth academy started to reflect on the Gunners’ performance as they conquered the top spot in the Premier League, a tournament which was dominated by the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, and Everton.

Arsenal went on to win the 1987 League Cup, by inflicting a 2-1 defeat on Liverpool. In 1989, with George Graham at the helm, Arsenal won their first English top-division title since 1971. The legendary goalkeeper David Seaman was one his preferred signings. Off the back of a few good signings and a strong squad, the Gunners lifted another league title in the 1990/91 season. 

In 1991, Ian Wright was signed by Graham and Arsenal entered the European Cup for the first time. In the 1992/93 season, the Gunners won the FA Cup and League Cup, the first English club to achieve the feat. Putting cherry on top this success, they beat Parma 1-0 to win the UEFA Cup Winners Cup a few days later. Graham is considered one of the best Arsenal managers of all time. 

7. Stewart Houston

Another Scottish coach, Stewart Houston was appointed as the new Arsenal manager after George Graham left. Houston stayed with the Gunners for less than four months as a caretaker coach. He learned a great deal of coaching methods from George Graham as he was the assistant coach to the latter at the Emirates. Houston’s biggest achievement was to take Arsenal to the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1995, but couldn’t win the European.

6. Bruce Rioch

Bruce Rioch arrived from Bolton Wanderers in 1995. He was given the task to continue the winning momentum of Arsenal. Before he was sacked a year after his appointment, Rioch guided the Gunners to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, gaining UEFA Cup place.

The Gunners also reached the semi-finals of League Cup under his watch, but only to lose against Tottenham Hotspur in the final.

5. Pat Rice

Pat Rice might be one of the several managers, who was replaced in less than one month in the history of football. Rice took charge as the Arsenal manager on the 13th of September but was replaced by a new coach before the end of the month. The former Arsenal and North Ireland player won only two games as the club’s manager before being appointed as an assistant to Arsene Wenger.

4. Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger is the greatest manager in Arsenal’s history. The French coach arrived at the Emirates Stadium in 1996 and stayed on the sidelines for 22 years. Two years after his arrival, he became the first foreign manager to win the FA Cup and Premier League title. In 2002, Wenger achieved the same feat yet again before lifting another Premier League title in 2004. Arsenal won the 2004 Premier League undefeated, a feat that has been achieved in football only twice. 

Under Arsene Wenger, the Gunners featured in the UEFA Champions League final in 2006, but lost to a high-flying Barcelona. His priority towards cutting costs witnessed Arsenal going trophyless for almost nine years. But, he led the North London club to two consecutive FA Cup titles in 2014 and 2015. By doing so, he set the record for winning the most number of trophies (7) in this competition. Before leaving the Gunners in 2018, Wenger became a folkloric figure in the rich history of the club. He left an impressive mark in its history as one of the best Arsenal managers ever.

3. Unai Emery

Unai Emery succeeded Arsene Wenger at Arsenal in 2018. He joined the Gunners on a two-year deal, with an option of extension. His debut on the sidelines for the North London club saw his side falling to a 0-2 defeat against Manchester City. Under his stewardship, Arsenal made a 22-game unbeaten run in the English top flight. Emery guided them to the UEFA Europa League final, but they were beaten 1-4 by their English counterparts, Chelsea. In 2019, after a series of poor results, the former PSG manager was sacked by the Arsenal directors. His influence in making Arsenal a stable team has made him one of the best Arsenal managers.

2. Freddie Ljungberg

The former Arsenal player Freddie Ljungberg replaced Unai Emery as the Arsenal manager in 2019. He was previously coaching at the club’s Youth academy. He was the senior team manager for less than a month and recorded three wins in that period.

Also Read: Ranking 10 best Chelsea Managers in the last 20 years

1. Mikel Arteta

The former deputy of Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta was brought in by the directors as the new Arsenal manager in 2019. The Spanish coach got his first victory on the sidelines of the Emirates Stadium against Manchester United after clinching a comfortable 2-0 victory. His side went on a rampage in the FA Cup and beat Manchester City and Chelsea respectively to win the tournament, making Arteta the first person to win the FA Cup trophy as both coach and captain of the Gunners. 

He won his second trophy at the club after Arsenal beat Liverpool in the FA Community Shield. Arteta also led the Gunners to the Europa League semi-finals, but lost to Villarreal on aggregate score. The 2022-23 Premier League season saw a feisty fight between Arsenal and Manchester City, in which the latter came on top at the end. Arteta has amassed 144 wins off 242 games as the Arsenal manager to date. 

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