Mikel Arteta: Pep Guardiola protege to English Premier League winner

LONDON – Mikel Arteta has silenced his doubters by awakening sleeping giants Arsenal, restoring them to the top of English football.

Twenty-two years on from Arsene Wenger’s “Invincibles”, the Gunners have finally got over the line to vindicate the Arteta project that began with his appointment back in 2019.

They celebrated their English Premier League title win on May 19 after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth. The result meant that Pep Guardiola’s side are four points behind in second place, ahead of the final round of matches on May 24.

Arsenal gambled on their Spanish former club captain Arteta in December 2019 even though the then 37-year-old had no previous managerial experience. But he was blessed with arguably the best apprenticeship, having worked alongside his long-time mentor and countryman Guardiola.

When the latter arrived at City a decade ago at age 45, he sought out Arteta’s experience of the English game and someone he knew from their time together at Barcelona.

“As a player and as a coach, he’s been an inspiration for me, and he’s the person who decided to bet on me, to include me as a second coach,” the Arsenal manager said of Guardiola in 2025.

“I’ll always be grateful to him, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

Yet in stark contrast to many other modern managers, Arteta has not followed the Guardiola approach in building a side who have pipped his former boss to the title.

He never quite made the grade at Barcelona, but the influences on his playing career have moulded his outlook as a manager.

After brief spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Rangers as a player, Arteta finally found a home at Everton under David Moyes.

“I learnt from him on the field and off the field, about building a team and getting the right characters in the team to build what you want,” he said of the Toffees boss.

An Arsenal side built on solid defensive foundations, who propelled towards the title from their strength at set pieces, bears more similarity to the Moyes playbook than Guardiola’s philosophy.

In his first meeting with the club’s hierarchy, Arteta reportedly presented a five-phase plan to drag the Gunners back into contention at the top of the Premier League and in Europe.

He quickly made his presence felt as some players, including stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil, were unceremoniously let go as the Spaniard sought greater squad harmony.

An FA Cup triumph just months after taking charge bought him time, but it took another six years for more major silverware to arrive.

In his first season, Arsenal ended eighth, their worst league finish for 25 years, and failed to improve on that in the Covid-19 pandemic-affected 2020-21 campaign.

A year later, they botched the chance to qualify for the Champions League with a late collapse to finish fifth.

Even when major progress resulted in three successive second-place finishes, Arteta’s ability to get Arsenal over the line was questioned.

By building from the back, he was often criticised for being too conservative and he has walked a fine line with his exuberant touchline antics.

Even this season, many believed Arsenal had lost their way when they suffered four consecutive domestic defeats from March 22 to April 19, ending their bid to win the FA Cup and League Cup and allowing City back into the Premier League title race.

But Arteta managed to right the ship this time to finish the campaign strongly and move to the brink of the club’s greatest season.

If they beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30, they will be crowned European champions for the first time.

“Sometimes when it is harder at the beginning, then it is better so to see that transformation and the joy in the people,” Arteta said ahead of Arsenal’s final home game against Burnley on May 18.

“It’s something that is beautiful to watch.”

Arsenal’s “nearly man” finally has his moment to savour. AFP