Arsenal took a major gamble when they appointed Mikel Arteta as manager in December 2019. Although highly regarded at the time, Arteta had no prior managerial experience, with only three years as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City on his résumé.
The early stages of his tenure were not without challenges, but Arteta has swiftly restored Arsenal’s status as genuine Premier League title contenders. His record of 118 wins in 199 games places him among the league’s most successful managers.
Guardiola holds the record for the most victories in a manager’s first 200 Premier League games, with 146. Jose Mourinho follows with 137 wins during his initial spell at Chelsea, while former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp secured 127. Sir Alex Ferguson sits fourth with 122 victories, just ahead of Arteta in fifth place.
Reaching this milestone is a notable achievement, but Arteta is likely more focused on securing three points against Manchester United on Sunday to keep Arsenal’s fading title hopes alive.
The Gunners currently trail league leaders Liverpool by 13 points, having played one game fewer than Arne Slot’s side. That gap could widen further if Liverpool triumph over Southampton on Saturday.