The Premier League returns on Saturday, and our Nottingham Forest fixture will be a special occasion for Mikel Arteta as he takes charge of us for the 250th time.
It’s been nearly five years since the Spaniard first sat in our dugout as our boss, and the stats show that it’s been a hugely successful tenure so far.
That’s because no manager has picked up more wins in their first 250 matches in all competitions than Mikel, who has 146 so far to his name:
| Competition | P | W | D | L | F | A | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 183 | 108 | 31 | 44 | 345 | 192 | 59.0% |
| Europa League | 24 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 46 | 21 | 62.5% |
| League Cup | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 30 | 14 | 57.1% |
| Champions League | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 9 | 50.0% |
| FA Cup | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 8 | 66.7% |
| Community Shield | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.0% |
| TOTAL | 249 | 146 | 43 | 60 | 461 | 246 | 58.6% |
That’s 10 more than Arsene Wenger achieved at the start of his tenure, and 11 more than George Graham managed:
| 250th game | Manager | P | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13/04/1914 | George Morrell | 250 | 82 | 67 | 101 |
| 21/01/1925 | Leslie Knighton | 250 | 88 | 61 | 101 |
| 04/10/1930 | Herbert Chapman | 250 | 110 | 64 | 76 |
| 16/11/1946 | George Allison | 250 | 117 | 65 | 68 |
| 22/11/1952 | Tom Whittaker | 250 | 124 | 64 | 62 |
| 16/12/1970 | Bertie Mee | 250 | 112 | 76 | 62 |
| 11/10/1980 | Terry Neill | 250 | 114 | 78 | 58 |
| 17/08/1991 | George Graham | 250 | 135 | 63 | 52 |
| 18/03/2001 | Arsene Wenger | 250 | 136 | 67 | 47 |
| 23/11/2024 | Mikel Arteta | 249 | 146 | 43 | 60 |
Mikel also stands shoulder to shoulder with those and other giants who have led us before them when it comes to his win percentage.
Taking only into account bosses who have been in charge of 50 Gunners games, Mikel’s current total of 58.6% sees him just ahead of the previous two incumbents of the role, Wenger and his fellow countryman Unai Emery.
| Manager | Played | W | D | L | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikel Arteta | 249 | 146 | 43 | 60 | 58.6% |
| Arsene Wenger | 1,235 | 707 | 280 | 248 | 57.2% |
| Unai Emery | 78 | 43 | 16 | 19 | 55.1% |
| Harry Bradshaw | 184 | 96 | 35 | 53 | 52.2% |
| Herbert Chapman | 403 | 201 | 97 | 105 | 49.9% |
| George Graham | 460 | 225 | 133 | 102 | 48.9% |
| Tom Whittaker | 429 | 202 | 106 | 121 | 47.1% |
| George Allison | 279 | 129 | 74 | 76 | 46.2% |
| Don Howe | 117 | 54 | 32 | 31 | 46.2% |
| Terry Neill | 416 | 187 | 117 | 112 | 45.0% |
Mikel is the 10th Arsenal manager to oversee 250 matches, and is the third youngest to do so, as he’ll be 42 years and 242 years on the day of the Forest match, behind only our first two-ever managers – George Morrell and Leslie Knighton.
When it comes to players selected in that time, Mikel has picked 69 different Gunners since he first scribbled on a teamsheet at Bournemouth in December 2019. One player remains with the club since that day, so it’s unsurprising to see Bukayo Saka way out in front in terms of games played and goals scored during Mikel’s stint in charge.
| Player | Games | Player | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bukayo Saka | 222 | Bukayo Saka | 60 | |
| Gabriel | 184 | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 38 | |
| Gabriel Martinelli | 174 | Gabriel Martinelli | 36 | |
| Martin Odegaard | 158 | Eddie Nketiah | 35 | |
| Eddie Nketiah | 149 | Martin Odegaard | 35 | |
| Granit Xhaka | 148 | Alexandre Lacazette | 29 | |
| Ben White | 146 | Nicolas Pepe | 23 | |
| Thomas Partey | 131 | Kai Havertz | 21 | |
| Kieran Tierney | 113 | Gabriel Jesus | 20 | |
| Alexandre Lacazette | 104 | Leandro Trossard | 20 |
11 players have been selected over 100 times, while 10 have been picked just once. Six of those have come this season so far, as Mikel looks to the next generation to help him maintain his excellent record into the next 250 matches.
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