Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal should already have “a few big trophies” after four years of consistency. The Arsenal manager’s point is blunt, and it comes with the club still top of the Premier League with 79 points from 36 matches, three days left to finalise the business and a title race that is still alive.

Why Arteta’s comments matter now

Arteta’s exact point was that, when you look at the trajectory and what the club have built in the last four years in terms of consistency, the amount of points and wins should already have delivered more. That is a fair self-assessment from a manager who usually prefers to talk up process before outcomes.

It also fits the numbers. Arsenal are top of the Premier League, their last five league games read WWWLL, and they are 8 from 8 in the Champions League with 24 points and a 23-4 goal record. Those are not the numbers of a side in transition. They are the numbers of a team that has been good enough to expect trophies and, so far, has not turned that into enough silverware.

There is a small but important caveat. Some will point to the fact that Arsenal’s recent run has been evidence of success, while others will frame it as underachievement because the trophies have not followed. Arteta is not really arguing with the second view. He is saying the club’s consistency has earned them the right to be judged by a higher standard.

The run-in is still about finishing, not explaining

Arteta also said being in the mix for the biggest prizes in this country means being adaptable and resilient within the circumstances. That matters because Jurrien Timber is a long-term absentee and Ben White’s injury is forcing makeshift right-back options in the run-in.

The next step is immediate. Arteta said there are three days left to finalise the business, and Arsenal's next Premier League match is at home to Burnley on 2026-05-18. If the message is about turning consistency into something tangible, this is the part of the season where that has to show up on the pitch.

For now, the honest reading is simple enough: Arsenal have built enough to be taken seriously, but not enough to make the discussion about trophies go away. That is why Arteta’s line lands so cleanly, and why the next few days matter so much.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 10 outlets. How we work →