Mikel Arteta Becomes English Football’s Longest-Serving Manager

Now that Pep Guardiola has said his farewells to Manchester City and sailed off into the sunset, Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta has become the longest-serving manager in the Premier League. What’s more, he’s actually the longest-serving manager in the top four divisions of English football, and the only one currently working who was appointed before the year 2020.

This says a lot about the faith the Arsenal owners have shown in Arteta, something that was finally rewarded when the Gunners won the Premier League title in 2025/26, for the first time in more than 20 years. It is also indicative of how trigger-happy clubs have become in recent times, as the insatiable quest for success and riches often results in desperate measures and premature sackings.

Despite this, Arteta doesn’t even make the top 20 managers in terms of the number of Premier League games managed, and he’s only seventh in the all-time list of Arsenal bosses when it comes to the number of games (in all competitions) they’ve been in the dugout. Here we’ll take a look at Arteta’s time in north London, and we’ll detail his nearest rivals in relation to managerial longevity.

Mikel Arteta – Arsenal, 22 December 2019 to Present

Arteta was appointed as manager of Arsenal in December 2019, replacing Unai Emery (after a short caretaker spell by Freddie Ljungberg). Emery was the man tasked with filling the boots left by club legend Arsene Wenger, which was never going to be easy.

He only managed a fifth-place finish in his only full season in charge, but he did lead the club to the Europa League final, but they lost that 4-1 to Chelsea. Had the Gunners triumphed that day, it is very possible that Emery would have been given more time. But failure to qualify for the Champions League meant he was on borrowed time in 2019/20, and after a poor run of games, he was shown the door in November 2019.

Once appointed, it took Arteta a little time to really establish himself at the club, although he did guide his side to FA Cup success in his first season. Aside from the Community Shield, that would be the only trophy the Spaniard won with the club until the Premier League title in 2025/26. Arsenal fans will clearly be hoping he adds to the trophy cabinet in the years to come. But how does Arteta’s current stint as boss compare to other long-serving Arsenal bosses?

Longest Serving Arsenal Managers Ever

As you can see, Arteta has a long way to go to catch up with the likes of George Graham, Bertie Mee, and the man who’s way out in the lead, Wenger. He has every chance of catching up with another club legend in the not-too-distant future, however, as the great Herbert Chapman is fewer than 60 games ahead of Arteta.

Arteta also has a long way to go to compete with some of the other Arsenal bosses when it comes to silverware. Wenger won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, including winning the double twice, and that will be hard to emulate. But one stat for which Arteta leads the way (among permanent Arsenal managers) is his win percentage.

At the time of writing, the Spaniard has won more than 60% of his games with Arsenal, compared to 57% for Wenger and 55% for Unai Emery. If he keeps that impressive rate up, it’s only a matter of time before the club wins more trophies.

Other Long-Serving Managers in English Football

In the cut and thrust of the Premier League, it is rare for managers to last too long. From the current crop, none other than Arteta has been in their current post for more than five years. Eddie Howe is next in the list, having been at Newcastle United since 8th November 2021, but he has been under pressure in recent months and he might not be there for too much longer if the club fails to start the 2026/27 campaign well and press for a Champions League spot.

Next up is the man who Arteta replaced at Arsenal, Emery, who was appointed as Aston Villa boss on 1st November 2022. He has led the Villans to consistently high positions in the league (7th, 4th, 6th, 4th) and also to Europa League success when they beat Freiburg 3-0 in the final in May 2026. The only way Emery will leave Villa is if he gets poached by one of the biggest clubs in the world, but if not, he could be there for a long time to come.

Lower League Longevity

Looking below the Premier League, there are plenty of managers in the EFL who have been in post for a decent amount of time. Here are those who, at the time of writing, have been in their current roles for more than three years.