{"id":975211,"date":"2026-05-21T09:28:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/975211\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T09:28:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T09:28:31","slug":"how-mikel-arteta-banished-the-banter-era-to-bring-glory-back-to-arsenal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/975211\/","title":{"rendered":"How Mikel Arteta banished the banter era to bring glory back to Arsenal"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After a few minutes of hugging and celebrating at London Colney on Tuesday, when Arsenal<\/a> had finally been confirmed as champions again<\/a>, the players just let go. There had already been a few guttural roars from the pure relief of winning. They then all jumped into the swimming pool.<\/p>\n

Bukayo Saka of course had an inflatable, if not this time a unicorn<\/a>. Some older staff members were chuckling that this was rather different to how the Premier League<\/a>-winning squad of 1998 to 2004 celebrated. The point, however, was that they were actually celebrating again.<\/a><\/p>\n

The players did end up going to a club in central London. They\u2019ve very much come of age in other ways, but so has the manager.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"MikelMikel Arteta\u2019s obsession over detail paid dividends in the end (Reuters)<\/p>\n

Some of the popular jibes about Mikel Arteta<\/a> won\u2019t work any more.<\/p>\n

And the story of Arsenal\u2019s 14th title is really the story of how their former captain, through a deliberate long-term plan, turned the club from a joke to a serious team again. He ended Arsenal\u2019s \u201cbanter era\u201d.<\/p>\n

If Arteta himself can often seem overly serious, too, those who know the 44-year-old stress that one point should always be acknowledged: he is a phenomenally hard worker. Many were happy for him for that alone. Some liken Arteta to the founder of a start-up, and how he can easily work 90 hours in a week without even realising.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s an obsessive,\u201d in the words of one source. Another even recalled a comment that Sir Alex Ferguson made at a similar age at Manchester United. \u201cThis isn\u2019t just a job to me. It\u2019s a mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BukayoBukayo Saka had an inflatable in the swimming pool, although not a unicorn as he had in an England training camp ahead of Euro 2020 (pictured) (Getty)<\/p>\n

This has been a mission for Arteta.<\/p>\n

Arsenal could have benefitted from this zeal even earlier, but for the dysfunction that was so characteristic of the club before Arteta returned.<\/p>\n

He was lined up to be their manager in 2018, only for the hierarchy to U-turn on Unai Emery very late in the process.<\/p>\n

Despite Emery\u2019s qualities <\/a>\u2013 which he proved once again when leading Aston Villa to Europa League glory against Freiburg<\/a> on Wednesday evening, his fifth time winning that competition \u2013 and how he had to endure the same dysfunction, the older Basque was ultimately seen as not right for a club of that size.<\/p>\n

Arteta sees the wait as having been better for his own career. It is funny how things work out. Arsenal\u2019s transfer window in the summer of 2011 is commonly seen as emblematic of the club\u2019s recent lows, but it may have secured their future. It gave them this manager. That was when Arteta was finally signed from Everton, after initial reservations from Arsene Wenger.<\/p>\n

From a growing connection with the club, Arteta gradually began to see it as his destiny to be Arsenal manager. He was already a coach as a player, and inquisitive about what was happening at other clubs. From 2013-14, he was obsessed with Pep Guardiola<\/a>\u2019s Bayern Munich, and how their \u201cU shape\u201d pinned you in.<\/p>\n

\"ArseneArsene Wenger signing Arteta in 2011 set Arsenal on the path to this league title (PA)<\/p>\n

Arteta knew his own limitations as a player, but his ability to adapt would preface his thinking as a manager.<\/p>\n

Despite all of this, some of the Arsenal hierarchy were reluctant to go back to Arteta in that December of 2019, since it was going to be his first job. They had spoken to Patrick Vieira and Vitor Pereira, and were also considering Max Allegri and Ronald Koeman.<\/p>\n

Mike Ashley had meanwhile been trying to get Arteta to Newcastle United from his assistant job at Manchester City<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On eventually becoming convinced to take a one-hour meeting that ended up becoming four, one executive gave a telling comment. \u201cI can see what the fuss is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arteta had given his full idea, blowing them away with his detail and how they could become competitive.Arsenal badly needed someone of such vision, because everything at the club was \u2013 in the words of one senior figure \u2013 \u201ca chaotic mess\u201d.<\/p>\n

The dressing room was described as \u201ctoxic\u201d, with too many characters who \u201cjust didn\u2019t care\u201d. Some staff members would even suspect certain players of picking and choosing their games, suddenly suffering injuries before undesirable away trips. \u201cIt was disjointed and selfish,\u201d one insider said.<\/p>\n

\"ArtetaArteta facilitated a clear-out upon joining Arsenal (PA Wire)<\/p>\n

It was described as \u201ca boys\u2019 club\u201d not geared towards elite performance and some of the directors didn\u2019t show much ambition because, ultimately, they didn\u2019t think owner Stan Kroenke was that interested. The feeling was there was \u201cno drive to be successful\u201d.<\/p>\n

This was infamously known as the club\u2019s \u201cbanter era\u201d online. They had endured so much calamity, with putative rivals considering them \u201ca laughing stock\u201d. Arteta himself had been all too aware of some causes of this, before he retired as a player in 2016.<\/p>\n

It used to deeply frustrate him that Arsenal were always out of contention by February, as some players seemed more concerned with getting their bodies ready for holidays.<\/p>\n

Despite Arteta\u2019s great respect for Wenger, he believed there wasn\u2019t enough detail on preparation. Instructions would be written on post-it notes. Far from putting Arteta off, though, it drove an urge to set it right.<\/p>\n

He felt it was still a club with almost everything \u2013 especially a huge fanbase and great stadium in London \u2013 that had just been allowed to drift. \u201cYou just need to grab everyone by the collar,\u201d the Spaniard said.<\/p>\n

It soon became apparent much more than that was needed. In finally trying to change everything around Arteta, one executive found the role \u201coverwhelming\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"ArtetaArteta changed everything around the club (Getty)<\/p>\n

The squad was still so average that Arsenal struggled to shift players. On the other side, the initial signings weren\u2019t up to it. Arteta still showed promise by marshalling that squad to the 2020 FA Cup. When asked if he wanted a bonus for that, he instead insisted on a new office.<\/p>\n

The same problems continued, though. Arsenal would stumble from bad run to bad run, with rare bright performances giving a glimpse of what Arteta was trying to do. Numerous sources now say that at that point, going into the winter of 2020, Arteta was in \u201ca very low place\u201d and thought he\u2019d \u201cmade a terrible mistake\u201d.<\/p>\n

He was even considering quitting.<\/p>\n

It was recent executive-vice chair Tim Lewis who is viewed as integral to preventing that. The former lawyer had initiated the infrastructural turnaround of Arsenal by setting up a \u201cfootball leadership team\u201d around Arteta and sporting director Edu.<\/p>\n

Lewis, an Arsenal fan who had worked with the Kroenkes for years, felt it was vital to get Arteta in front of the owner. The two flew to Denver, where Arteta explained his football vision and Lewis pointed out how important a competitive team was to the Kroenkes\u2019 own business.<\/p>\n

It was crucial to getting Arteta that backing but the manager also knew he had to start thinking about things anew himself.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer executive vice-chair Tim Lewis is seen as integral to keeping Arteta at Arsenal (PA Wire)<\/p>\n

A key moment came in that same new office in July 2021, when he wrote up a five-year plan with a sharpie. Arteta was well versed in how the average age of a title-winning team was 27 years and three months but that Arsenal couldn\u2019t afford that kind of profile. Their wage bill was a mere \u00a3125m, compared to the \u00a3300m-plus that Manchester City were winning the title with.<\/p>\n

So, Arteta realised he had to do \u201ca Borussia Dortmund\u201d, as it used to be known, and get young players in to build to a proper collective. \u201cThat\u2019s the future of Arsenal,\u201d he pronounced.<\/p>\n

Youth graduates like Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe were immediately elevated. Arteta did wonder whether a long frustrated fanbase would accept this, and the inevitable pain within progress, but realised the need to sell it as a journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cProject players\u201d would be targeted and Arteta ensured a good number had a high football intelligence. He wasn\u2019t initially sold on William Saliba but quickly realised what he had. Arteta gradually developed a system that would be known as \u201cthe spin drier\u201d \u2013 getting the opposition in such a whirl they couldn\u2019t get out \u2013 but soon realised the pressing necessary couldn\u2019t have any passengers.<\/p>\n

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, whose individual quality had been so crucial to that FA Cup success, had to go. Gabriel Jesus\u2019 range was seen as \u201cchanging everything\u201d for the team.<\/p>\n

\"BringingBringing in Gabriel Jesus and getting rid of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was a key step in Arteta\u2019s vision (Getty)<\/p>\n

There was also something resolute about them, despite perceptions. Arsenal suffered setbacks \u2013 like getting thrashed by Antonio Conte\u2019s Tottenham Hotspur<\/a> to lose a Champions League place in 2021-22 \u2013 only to come back stronger. It would eventually be the same with second-place finishes.<\/p>\n

By August 2022, and a 2-1 home win over Fulham<\/a>, Arteta felt he finally had the spirit he wanted. There was \u201can incredible noise\u201d at the stadium. There was a re-forged connection with the fans, who were enjoying that preciously rare football experience of a team on the up.<\/p>\n

It just took them another four years to get to the very top.<\/p>\n

There was progress every season \u2013 83 points in 2022-23, then 89 the next, the Champions League quarter-finals in 2022-23, then the semi-finals.<\/p>\n

The problem was that City, Arteta\u2019s former club, just seemed too powerful.<\/p>\n

Arsenal got another sense of why when they secured one of the key pieces, with the signing of Declan Rice in the summer of 2023. City came in strong, with sources insisting their offer was much higher than Arsenal\u2019s. Rice had already been persuaded by Arteta and the culture around his team, though. He could see he was \u201cgoing to be loved\u201d there. The midfielder eventually had to insist on Arsenal, to the \u201cfury\u201d of some of the West Ham United hierarchy.<\/p>\n

Other Arsenal figures similarly tracked progress by how people at City spoke to them. From 2020 to 2022, when City were regularly battering Arsenal, they felt Arteta was being \u201cpatted on the head\u201d. Guardiola would tell some of the Arsenal hierarchy to look after his friend.<\/p>\n

\"PepPep Guardiola initially told the Arsenal hierarchy to \u201clook after his friend\u201d Arteta (Getty)<\/p>\n

None of that was happening by 2024. There was war between the clubs, which ended up infusing this title race. Arsenal still didn\u2019t have the right weapons, though.<\/p>\n

Arteta is described as taking the two second places of 2022-23 and 2023-24 very badly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was in the basement and it was hard to pull him out of it,\u201d one insider says. A corollary to the hard work was an element of \u201ctorturing\u201d himself. Such anguish gradually evolved into deep consideration about what was required, though.<\/p>\n

Strategy meetings about how you evolve a team soon became strategy meetings about how you win the Premier League. Process now required end product.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Arteta could see how the positional game he had been a devotee of was fracturing, in a Premier League that was becoming more physical. Arsenal found that their attacks were increasingly coming up against massed defences, which resulted in more set-pieces, so they had better start practising them.<\/p>\n

Nicolas Jover assumed a new importance at the club, even if long sessions occasionally grated with the players.<\/p>\n

Other decisions paid off. It\u2019s remarkable to think now there was some debate when David Raya replaced Aaron Ramsdale.<\/p>\n

\"DavidDavid Raya taking over as Arsenal No 1 was crucial for the Gunners (Getty)<\/p>\n

The goalkeeper has been inspirational, a clip of his save against West Ham United receiving a special cheer from the players when shown on a video on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

Arteta of course didn\u2019t just want to make his squad physically bigger, but bigger in number. He\u2019d learned the lessons of the expanded 2024-25 campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bench is what does it for you,\u201d he\u2019d say. The result has been football that not everyone enjoys watching, but that no one likes facing.<\/p>\n

Arsenal were no longer a joke, or a punchline. They are champions again.<\/p>\n

Insider access, exclusive analysis, and behind-the-scenes gossip \u2013 <\/strong>sign up for Miguel Delaney\u2019s Inside Football newsletter now<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":975212,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4100],"tags":[2047,271707,9030,393,271709,244047,94,44888,102882,271710,252298,35327,147743,59502,2249,10031,93,79,271708,271712,10649,97438,16,28591,15,271711],"class_list":["post-975211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-bukayo-saka","tag-burton-upon-trent","tag-championship","tag-england","tag-england-national-soccer-team","tag-euro-2020","tag-football","tag-horizontal","tag-inflatable","tag-international-soccer-event","tag-international-team-soccer","tag-jumping","tag-motion","tag-national-team","tag-photography","tag-soccer","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-sports-training-camp","tag-swimmer","tag-swimming","tag-swimming-pool","tag-uk","tag-unicorn","tag-united-kingdom","tag-united-kingdom-national-team"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116611862960104533","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=975211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/975211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/975212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=975211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=975211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=975211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}