Mikel Arteta’s position as Arsenal manager is facing its most intense scrutiny yet. After finishing another season without a major title, growing voices in football suggest that if Arsenal end 2025-26 without a trophy, Arteta’s time at the Emirates should come to an end.For a club that has rebuilt itself from the ground up, the question is no longer about progress it is about silverware.
Background: Who Is Mikel Arteta?
Mikel Arteta is one of football’s most recognizable managers, but his journey to the Arsenal dugout spans decades of playing and coaching experience. As a player, he represented clubs including Mikel Arteta Barcelona where he came through the famed La Masia academy Mikel Arteta PSG in France, Mikel Arteta Everton on Merseyside, and, most famously, Arsenal, where he served as club captain. After retiring as a player, Arteta joined Mikel Arteta Man City as Pep Guardiola’s trusted assistant, a role that shaped his tactical identity.
Since 2016, he worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City before taking charge of Arsenal in 2019 the club where he played his final matches as a professional. His managerial career, therefore, has an almost poetic connection to Arsenal, making his current predicament all the more loaded.
Details: The Trophy Drought That Defines Everything
Arteta guided Arsenal to the FA Cup trophy in his first season as head coach a triumph that came at a time when Arsenal was dealing with an aging and underperforming squad.Under him, the club cleaned house and built a young, vibrant roster. However, since that 2020 FA Cup win, the trophies have dried up completely.
The Gunners confirmed a third consecutive second-place Premier League finish recently, but Arteta’s side were left empty-handed once again after another trophyless campaign. Arsenal won the 2023 Community Shield final against Manchester City, but they are without a major trophy since their FA Cup triumph in 2020.
This season, 2025-26, was supposed to be different. The Gunners splashed a whopping €293.5 million on players including Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, and others, and Arteta was told he must end the club’s five-year trophy drought in 2025-26.The investment made the message crystal clear: now or never.
Arteta had led the Gunners to the top of the table in both the Premier League and the Champions League league phase, as well as a spot in the Carabao Cup final. There was talk of an unprecedented quadruple. Just before the March international break, it all started to fall apart losing 2-0 to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, then crashing out of the FA Cup at the hands of Southampton.
Mikel Arteta’s Record at Arsenal as Manager
When joined as manager in December 2019, the task ahead was enormous. Under Arteta, the club essentially cleaned house and overhauled a majority of their roster. The results on the pitch were transformative. He oversaw two of Arsenal’s highest Premier League points totals 88 in 2023 and 86 in 2024 and guided them to their first Champions League semi-final in 16 years.
His Arteta record at Arsenal as manager is one of remarkable statistical improvement, yet it carries a significant asterisk: no Premier League title, no Champions League, and only one major trophy to show. The credit from that rebuild is running out fast.
Mikel Arteta’s Wife: The Woman Behind the Manager
Away from the football pitch, Arteta leads a full family life with his partner, Mikel Arteta’s wife Lorena Bernal. Lorena Bernal is an Argentine-Spanish actress, model, television host, and spiritual life coach. While Arteta commands attention on the Premier League touchline, Lorena Bernal has built her own multifaceted career spanning beauty pageants, entertainment, personal development, and authorship.
At just 17 years old, Lorena was crowned Miss Spain in 1999. Although ineligible for the Miss Universe pageant due to her age, she represented Spain at Miss World, where she finished among the top 10 finalists.Her acting career took her to Hollywood, with roles in American TV series including CSI: Miami and Chuck.
She met Mikel in a nightclub in San Sebastián in 2002. At the time, she had no idea he was a football player. In 2010, the couple decided to get married and are now parents to three children. Arteta has spoken openly about her influence, crediting her with changing his outlook on life entirely.
Quotes: Experts and Pundits Weigh In
Football pundits have not been shy about voicing concern over Arteta’s future.
Paul Merson warned: “I think Arteta has got until Christmas. They will have to be in the top two at Christmas to keep on going.”
Another analyst stated: “It ramps up the pressure on Arteta, because he must deliver trophies for Arsenal in the near future if he wants to avoid questions being asked. They get themselves into great positions every year but manage to throw it away, and that’s when fingers start to get pointed at the manager.”
Jamie Carragher acknowledged that Arteta had done “a brilliant job,” but warned that Arsenal could easily stagnate adding: “Next season, the pressure will be on Arteta massively… The board will have a problem if they don’t win a major trophy.”
Barcelona, PSG, and the Transfer Rumors That Circled
Arteta’s reputation has not gone unnoticed by Europe’s biggest clubs. Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain two of the coach’s former clubs were even among those to register interest in hiring Arteta. However, both the Spaniard and Arsenal remained calm, and an agreement on a contract extension was finalized. The fact that Mikel Arteta Barcelona and Mikel Arteta PSG were linked with his return speaks volumes about how highly the football world rates him even if the trophies have not followed.
Also in the News: Hinglaj Mata Temple in Balochistan
In a completely separate but notable development making headlines recently, the Hinglaj Mata Temple has been in the news for a positive reason. The Balochistan government has decided to declare the historic Hinglaj Mata Temple, located in Lasbela district, as a world tourism site. The decision was taken during a meeting between Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and Senator Danesh Kumar, where they discussed initiatives to promote minority religious tourism in the province.
The Hinglaj Mata Temple is a Hindu temple in Hinglaj, a town on the Makran coast in the Lasbela district of Balochistan. It lies in the middle of the Hingol National Park and is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in Hinduism.It draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across the country and abroad every year.The Balochistan government’s move to elevate it as an international tourism destination is being seen as a major step toward religious inclusivity and heritage preservation in Pakistan.
Impact: What This Means for Arsenal and Arteta
The stakes heading into the remainder of the 2025-26 season could not be higher. Having led distinct improvement in Arsenal’s style and competitiveness, Arteta is currently in his sixth full year at the helm. Still, questions remain about whether that advancement must be matched with silverware.
What stings most for Arsenal fans is that Arsenal also finished 2nd in the Premier League repeatedly which is becoming something of a habit under Mikel Arteta. The comparison to Arsene Wenger’s final years at the club is becoming harder to ignore, and the fanbase is growing restless.
Spanish sources have also named former Arsenal club captain Cesc Fabregas as a potential candidate to replace Arteta if a change is deemed necessary.While no official move has been indicated, the name being floated publicly signals that boardroom thinking may be evolving.
Conclusion: What Comes Next?
Mikel Arteta remains Arsenal manager for now, backed by the club’s ownership. The new deal will keep the Spaniard with the North London side until 2027.But contracts mean little without results, and the clock is ticking loudly. The Premier League and Champions League remain within reach this season. If Arteta delivers either, the narrative flips entirely from near-miss manager to trophy winner. If he doesn’t, the summer of 2026 could mark the end of an era.
The rebuild was real. The progress was real. But in football, trophies are the only currency that truly counts.
FAQs
How long was Mikel Arteta at Arsenal?
Mikel Arteta joined Arsenal as manager in December 2019. As of 2026, he has been in charge for over six years, making him one of the longer-serving managers in the Premier League during this period.
Has Arteta won a trophy with Arsenal?
Yes, but only one major trophy. Arteta’s tenure has yielded just one major trophy the 2020 FA Cup along with back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Premier League.He also won the 2023 Community Shield, which is considered a minor trophy.
Could Arsenal sack Arteta? If Arsenal finish 2025-26 without a title in hand, many analysts believe Arteta’s time at the Emirates should come to an end.While the club has publicly backed him, internal pressure is mounting and the patience of the fanbase is wearing thin.
