Mikel Arteta has become the 13th manager to win the Premier League, and BBC Sport’s ranking puts him into a debate that still turns on Pep Guardiola, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. Only four bosses have won more than one title since 1992, which is why the title count and the long-haul cases keep pulling in different directions. Arsenal's title season has changed the conversation around Arteta quickly.
Titles at the top of the debate
The BBC feature starts from a narrow group. Thirteen managers have won the Premier League title, and Arteta is now one of them after leading Arsenal to the trophy earlier this year.
That still leaves the repeat winners in a separate tier. Only four bosses have won more than one title since the league began in 1992, so the argument around the best managers quickly becomes a question of whether a single championship season can sit alongside multiple title-winning runs.
Longevity keeps Ferguson and Wenger in frame
If trophies are the first filter, longevity is the next one. David Moyes racked up 755 games in Premier League dugouts, while Arsene Wenger has 828 and Sir Alex Ferguson 810.
Those numbers explain why the top end of the ranking is not just about medals. Wenger and Ferguson combine the trophy case with a far bigger body of work, while Moyes shows how hard it is to stay in the conversation without the same title count.
Mancini’s place in the feature also comes from a different kind of case. Roberto Mancini won the title with two goals in added time, including a 94th-minute winner, on the final day of the season, and Manchester City's 0.83 goals conceded per game under him reflects how strong that spell was.
Arteta belongs in the elite group now, but the ranking still feels weighted towards repeat champions and the managers who did it over a longer stretch. The Premier League titles list has 13 names on it, yet the argument about the best one still runs through the same few figures.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
