After years of steady growth under Mikel Arteta, the standards have shifted for Arsenal. Competing for titles is expected. Winning them is demanded. So if the 2025-26 season ends without silverware, the debate will grow louder about Arteta’s future with the club. Has Arteta taken this group as far as he can, and a trophyless season would justify his sacking, or would dismissing him undo years of progress for the club?
Where Arsenal Stands
Arsenal are no longer rebuilding. They have assembled a squad filled with players entering or already in their prime years, with way more talent than the Arsenal teams we’ve seen over the last decade or so. And the results have reflected that commitment to building the squad. Consistent top-four finishes are now the floor, even if they haven’t won more than a couple of FA Cups over the last decade.
There is also a noticeable shift in how Arsenal are viewed across Europe. They are not outsiders anymore. They are contenders in the Premier League and a side capable of going deep in continental competition on a consistent basis. They have a six-point cushion in the Premier League going into Sunday’s match between Arsenal and Manchester City and are in the Champions League semifinals agianst Atletico Madrid.
But a recent dip in form has led to them being dumped out of both domestic cup competitions and has opened the door for City to catch Arsenal if the Sky Blues can win on Sunday and win their game in hand. That has led to the debate about sacking Arteta resurfacing.
The Case For Sacking Arteta
Football is a results-driven business, and at elite clubs, results are measured in trophies. If Arsenal finish the 2025-26 season empty-handed, it will mark another year of near misses. It would arguably their worst yet, going from being a favorite to win four trophies to winning zero. At some point, near misses start to look like a pattern rather than bad luck, and patterns get blamed on managers and not players more often than not.
Critics would argue that Arteta has had enough time to build a winner. He has been backed financially, trusted through difficult periods, and given control over building his squad. With that level of support comes expectations. If the team repeatedly falls short in decisive moments, questions about leadership become unavoidable.
There is no shame in falling short to clubs like Manchester City, the best that money can buy, managed by one of the best managers of all-time. But Arsenal are not obligated to accept that either, and there is certainly a case to be made for sacking Arteta in an attempt to find a manager who can get this group over the hump.
The Case Against Sacking Arteta
On the other hand, dismissing Arteta after a trophyless season could be seen as a major overreaction. Stability is rare in modern football, and Arsenal have something many clubs crave: a clear identity and a track record of recent success. Arteta has transformed Arsenal from a disjointed side into one with cohesion and one that hasn’t suffered the same ups and downs as clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham have experienced. That kind of progress is not guaranteed to continue under a new manager.
There is also the reality that winning trophies is incredibly difficult. The Premier League alone is a gauntlet features multiple clubs with similar ambitions and more financial power than the Gunners. Falling short does not automatically mean failure, especially when you are falling short against City Football Group and its checkbook.
Do Arsenal Supporters Have Unrealistic Expectations?
I am also of the opinion that Arsenal supporters have expectations for their club that do not reflect their club’s reality right now. If you look at the recent history of Arsenal, they are a club whose two captains prior to Martin Odegaard were Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Zooming out and realizing how much better things are under Arteta than they used to be is an important exercise for Arsenal supporters to perform.
Supporters may need to ask themselves a difficult question. Is the goal to win once, or to build a team that can compete for years? The answer to that question shapes how you think Arteta’s tenure should be judged. Ultimately, if Arsenal go trophyless in 2025-26, the pressure on Arteta will be intense. But whether that pressure leads to his dismissal should depend on more than a single outcome.
