Mikel Arteta’s manager-of-the-season award caps Arsenal’s title rebuild

Mikel Arteta has been named Premier League manager of the season after leading Arsenal to their first league title in 22 years. It is the neatest summary of what this season became: a long rebuild finally paying off. Arteta took over in December 2019, saw Arsenal finish runners-up in three straight seasons, then watched them become champions with a game to spare.

Why the award fits Arsenal’s season

This is not an award built on vibes or a late run. Arsenal won the league with 82 points from 37 matches and finished 4 points clear of Manchester City. The title itself is the strongest case for Arteta, but the route to it matters too.

Three consecutive runner-up finishes could easily have turned into a label. Instead, they now look like the hard part of a team getting to the line. That is why the manager-of-the-season prize makes sense as more than a companion piece to the trophy. It recognises that Arsenal did not just have one good campaign, they kept pushing until they finally finished the job.

Arteta made that point himself after the title win. He told skysports.com: "The fans have been waiting for this for so long. We have had some difficult moments along the way but all of them are worth it when you see that kind of reaction. We showed an incredible connection, an incredible commitment and incredible courage as well. Everything around us was fuel for the desire to go and do it."

There was relief in it too. Speaking to skysports.com, Arteta said: "There are doubts and the understanding that maybe you are not the right person. But thanks to God that we have done it. I feel a lot of joy and a lot of relief as well."

That part matters because it stops the story becoming too tidy. A six-and-a-half-year project only looks obvious once it works. For long stretches, it did not feel inevitable at all.

What to make of the criticism Arsenal faced

Paul Scholes was brutal earlier in the season. He told mirror.co.uk: "None of them have convinced me that they should be Premier League champions. I don't think they should give the trophy out this year. No one deserves it."

That view deserves airing because it was part of the noise around Arsenal for much of the season. There were moments when the title race lacked a truly dominant side, and Arsenal still had to prove they could get over the line after falling short before.

But the criticism does not hold up especially well now. A title sealed with a game to spare and a 4-point gap at the top is not a fluke season dressed up as one. It is fair to say Arsenal were questioned. It is harder to say they were undeserving once the table settled.

Scholes himself backed away from the earlier line after the title was won. He said: "I was a bit harsh and a bit tough, but the question now is can they go on and dominate English football. I think they will get better, they have the players to get better, they will still need to sign players, but getting over the line is so big, doing it for the first time."

That feels closer to the mark. The hardest part for this Arsenal side was turning years of progress into a title. They have now done that.

The next test is still to come

The award also lands at an awkward moment, because the season is not finished in the broader sense. Attention now shifts to the Champions League final against Paris Saint Germain.

There is a separate debate around Arteta's confidence heading into that game. He was quoted by football365.com saying: "On Saturday, we are going to be Champions of Europe." It may amount to nothing, and managers say bold things all the time around major finals. Still, if that line has made its way into the opposition camp, Paris Saint Germain do not need much extra motivation.

The form numbers in the brief suggest this is not a final to oversimplify. Arsenal have 3 wins in their last 5 matches. PSG have 2 wins in their last 5. That gives Arsenal some encouragement, but not enough to turn the game into a foregone conclusion.

For now, though, the manager-of-the-season award fits the evidence in front of us. Arteta arrived in December 2019, took Arsenal through three straight runner-up finishes, and ended the wait for a league title with a game to spare. The final against Paris Saint Germain is still to come.