Arteta came in at Arsenal back in late 2019, and let's be real, the team was struggling, they’d just missed out on the Champions League and things weren’t looking great.
They’ve improved since then, they finished second a couple of times and even reach the Champions League semis in 2025. But honestly, if you talk to fans or watch the pundits, the big question keeps coming up: why haven’t they make it to the top yet?
It’s not like they blew it in one big way. It’s more like a bunch of smaller things, bad luck, tough competition, and some football realities, all stacked up against them.
Arsenal under Arteta have been on an encouraging journey, but one that has required rebuilding. In Arteta’s first full season (2020-21) Arsenal finished 8th in the Premier League, but also won the FA Cup, a sign the project had promise.
League finishes then improved to 5th, 2nd, and 2nd again in the next seasons. As The Guardian notes, ending up second for three straight years would make this the “third most consistently successful version of Arsenal ever.”
That’s a big improvement from finishing 8th a few years back. They’ve definitely gotten better over time, but they still haven't made it to the top.
They’ve reached over 80 points in the last few seasons, which would’ve been enough to win the league most years and in 2024-25, they even reach the Champions League semis for the first time since 2009.
But in the league and in Europe, they just missed out losing the title to Liverpool and getting knocked out by PSG.
So what happened? Why does it feel like “close but not close enough”?
Why Tough Rivals and Budget Limits Are Holding Arsenal Back
One big reason is simply who they’ve had to beat. Over the last decade, Manchester City managed by Pep Guardiola and Liverpool (under Jürgen Klopp) have set extraordinary standards.
Arteta’s Arsenal are built from a squad that just a few years ago was missing the talent needed, whereas City and Liverpool have had top–top squads and massive spending.
In fact, Arteta has invested huge sums around €550–600 million in his first five seasons, roughly the same as Guardiola did but he did it starting from a weaker baseline.
A detailed comparison points out that Arsenal’s net spending in the decade before Arteta was only about half of City’s total spend.
In short, City have spent over a billion pounds assembling a power already near the top, while Arteta rebuilt a club that had spent much less and fallen out of the top four for years.
This difference shows in practice. As ESPN notes, Arteta’s side finished runners-up with 89 points in 2023-24 but still trailed Liverpool by 10 points. They followed up with an 84-point second place in 2022-23, again behind City.
Arteta himself has acknowledged that “we never found consistency” because of various issues, whereas Liverpool and City “managed to maintain that consistency, that level of players, a system, a coach, a stadium that has created an incredible atmosphere.”
In short, Arsenal have been chasing teams that not only play great football but also have had the benefit of huge budgets and stability. When the rivals are that strong, even very good seasons can leave you behind.
Finishing second in the Premier League three years in a row is amazing for Arsenal, especially when you think about how they did during most of the time Wenger was still in charge.
But when those second position comes with points close to what most teams use to win the league, it feels like they missed a big opportunity.
Fans and experts point out that if Liverpool hadn’t been so incredible in one season (and City so relentless in another), Arsenal would have had the league. It’s just so frustrating, you’ve done almost everything right, but the competition just did slightly more.
How Injuries and a Small Squad Have Slowed Arsenal’s Progress
Aside from rivals, Arsenal have also suffered a strange run of misfortune with injuries. In 2024-25, the Gunners went into the crucial run-in with their attack decimated.
Key players like Ødegaard, Saka, and Ben White were out for a long time, and some others players like Havertz, Jesus, Magalhães, and Tomiyasu had injuries throughout the season.
In fact, ESPN reported that Arsenal started the season “aware they were ‘super short’ in squad depth” and that several players had a high risk of picking up more injuries.
Arteta himself admitted it was a real handicap: “We knew from the beginning, our squad was super short and some players had a high probability of getting injured. That’s a big thing to win trophies,” he said.
Put simply, Arsenal often had the best team on paper but rarely at full strength. For example, that feared front line of Saka, Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Havertz scored 91 Premier League goals together in 2023-24, a title-winning number.
In 2024-25 not one of them was fit together for long as one Guardian analysis notes, “every single one of these attackers has been injured for a significant period.”
The most obvious gap (a striker) became even more glaring when injuries forced midfielders to play up front. The result was that Arsenal often dropped points in games where a healthy side might have won.
ESPN pointed out they drew 14 league games that season (only Everton drew more). Converting even half of those extra draws into wins would almost certainly have changed their fortunes.
In short, nothing saps momentum like constant injuries. It’s hard to build the consistency needed to challenge for trophies when your team keeps changing.
In big European knockout ties, it was even more brutal. Arteta stressed after losing to PSG that Arsenal “arrived here in the worst state” fitness-wise, and PSG even had a full week to recover while Arsenal didn’t.
Arsenal created tons of chances but simply didn’t have all their best pieces in place. So the injury curse has been a major obstacle.
Key Transfer Decisions and Missing Players That Have Held Arsenal Back
Another factor is Arsenal’s cautious transfer strategy. For the last couple seasons they stuck with the players they had instead of splashing on a proven goal-scorer.
This “betting on the squad” almost paid off but ultimately, perhaps didn’t. In January 2025 Arsenal bid £40 million for Brentford’s Ollie Watkins, but wouldn’t go up to his £60m asking price.
ESPN labeled that decision a “£20 million call that may have cost them the Premier League title,” since Arsenal ended up drawing far too many games.
In other words, fans have wondered if failing to add a top striker left Arsenal a bit short on clinical finishing.
Critics have been blunt. The Guardian called not signing a “dedicated goalscorer” in 18 months an obvious flaw. Arsenal had a stiff lineup of creative midfielders (Ødegaard, Saka, etc.), but no guaranteed goal scorer.
In games like the PSG semi-final, Arsenal wasted multiple clear chances, while Donnarumma (“the best player”) bailed PSG out repeatedly. The point at the highest level, those fine margins matter.
Many fans now blame not moving aggressively for a striker on the theory that it’s holding them back from winning games they should.
Arteta has admitted strikers are “the hardest” players to sign, but he’s also requested them, after that season he said he’d “do everything we can” in the summer to bring in reinforcements.
To give credit where due, Arsenal’s signings have mostly improved the team defenders like Saliba, Ben White and midfield upgrades.
But until they add a high-class forward, they rely on midfielders to chip in with goals. That sometimes works, they scored 91 goals last season, but without a “plan B” goalscorer, it can also leave them hanging in key games.
So, not quite having that final piece is often mentioned as part of the reason they haven’t quite won the top prizes yet.
What Arsenal’s European Struggles Teach Them About the Big Stage
Beyond the squad itself, Arsenal have had limited experience in the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
They qualified for the last 16 in 2024-25 for the first time under Arteta, the club’s first UCL knockout tie in six years and their players are mostly young.
Arteta and others admit that inexperience played a part when they conceded late to FC Porto in March 2024. The coach pointed out that a 94th-minute goal by Porto might not have gone against a side used to that stage: “If in 94 minutes we didn’t have the naivety in that one, I think it’s cruel to judge it,” he said.
In Europe’s top competition, little moments count. Arsenal were simply out of their depth in that Porto tie and later at PSG, where PSG had veterans like Marquinhos learning to lose in heartbreak after heartbreak.
Getting to semi-finals in 2025 was actually a major breakthrough, but even then Arsenal fell short.
Against PSG they had the better chances and expected-goals numbers, and Arteta insisted on camera that Arsenal were “the best team in the competition” on the whole.
Perhaps he was right about their play, but wins come down to taking your chances and Arsenal’s players missed theirs.
When Lucas Ocampos scored in stoppage time to put PSG through, Arteta admitted it hurt worse precisely because Arsenal had given so much and had been arguably the better side.
Experience matters, Bayern, Real Madrid and others have years of painful near-misses before finally breaking through.
Arsenal’s core is still relatively young at Champions League level. Just think about it. Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, and Saliba are still young, most of them are still in their mid 20s. They’re still learning.
In 2025 they made history (first semi in 15 years), but they also learned how big games feel when they lose.
Those lessons might well pay off in future years, that’s the optimistic view but for now the “Europe’s top tier” trophy is still waiting.
What Fans and Experts Are Saying About Arsenal’s Progress and Challenges
It’s not just outside analysts who are asking why Arsenal hasn’t gotten “there” yet. Legendary former striker Thierry Henry told media this spring that he believes Arsenal should already be competing for trophies.
He was sympathetic to Arteta’s challenge but blunt about expectations. “For the last three years Arsenal have been in a situation where they should have at least brought one cup or reached a final,” Henry said.
He went on to acknowledge why fans are restless: “I do understand when people ask ‘Surely you should compete for a trophy?’”
Henry, an Arsenal man if anyone, is basically saying that the club’s pedigree and recent success raise fans’ hopes of silverware.
Others see the glass half-full. The Guardian’s Barney Ronay argued that obsessing over one trophy can miss the bigger picture.
He points out that finishing second three years running makes this “the third most consistently successful version of Arsenal ever.”
In other words, maybe the team isn’t as far off as it feels, given Arsenal’s long title drought (the last time they won the league was 2004).
Some supporters take heart from that, yes, we’re still a step behind City or Liverpool, but at least we’re up there with them now.
Mikel Arteta himself often reminds everyone that Arsenal should be proud of their style and progress, even as they push for trophies.
He famously said that you can’t judge Arsenal only by silverware: if you did, “we have failed the last 20 years in the Premier League and in all our history in the Champions League” a reference to how long it’s been since Arsenal hoisted those big prizes.
His point is that the club’s identity (the way they play, the values, the connection with fans) matters too. Of course, fans want trophies that’s natural but Arteta likes to highlight the positives of a team on the rise.
After they got knocked out in the 2025 semis, you could feel the frustration from the fans. Arsenal creator-or-die moments have produced heartbreak: the stoppage-time goals, the offside calls, the narrow misses.
An anonymous Sky Sports pundit even warned fans not to blame Arteta for tough losses, saying the team has been “the best in the competition” based on stats.
This tension, pride in how far they’ve come, mixed with “what if” regret drives the conversation.
Quotes from players and coaches only fuel it, after beating Liverpool late in 2024, Arteta cheekily noted that Liverpool had fewer points that day than Arsenal did in the previous two seasons, a technically true statement, but one that rubbed some people the wrong way. Others publicly criticized him for sounding deluded.
In fan terms, it can feel like a rollercoaster. One week Arsenal beat both Manchester City and the champions of Spain, Germany and France even conceding no goals in those big games leading some pundits to ask: “At what point do you get to be good?”
The next week they might drop points to mid-table teams or bow out of a cup on a fine margins. That inconsistency, often driven by circumstances beyond their control is maddening.
Main Reasons Arsenal Are Close but Not Quite at the Top Yet
• Tough rivals: City and Liverpool have set bars higher than ever. For roughly the same transfer spending around half a billion.
Arteta has taken Arsenal to second place, whereas Guardiola simply rebuilt a juggernaut and City had already spent billions before Arteta arrived.
• Injuries and depth: Arsenal have repeatedly lost key players at crucial times, slowing their momentum. Saka, Ødegaard, and others missed big chunks, and fringe players were asked to step up.
Arteta admitted early on the 2024-25 season that Arsenal were “super short” on squad depth and knew injuries would come.
• No drop-dead striker: Arsenal gambled on the attackers they had instead of buying a marquee scorer. When they passed on Ollie Watkins for a reported £20m less than his value, it may have cost them points.
Critics argue that having a top forward to turn good chances into guaranteed goals is the missing piece.
• European experience: The players are still learning. Many were new to UCL knockouts, so when games get tight they sometimes make naive mistakes.
After Porto’s late winner Arteta gently blamed inexperience, saying if they hadn’t been naive in the final minutes maybe the result would differ. It’s hard to “know how to do it” in Europe until you do it a few times.
• A bit of bad luck: Small margins have not fallen Arsenal’s way. In the PSG semi, Arsenal had much higher expected goals and several one-on-ones, but failed to score while PSG’s Donnarumma made the saves of the night.
In the league, the draws add up. Sometimes it’s refereeing or VAR calls, other times it’s strikers misfiring. But cumulative bad luck in key moments has been unlucky for the Gunners.
Each of these by itself isn’t a scandal, but together they explain why Arsenal, despite looking like an elite team, have not yet won the big titles.
Is a Champions League Title Within Arsenal’s Reach?
All the above sounds negative, but remember that Arsenal have done a step backwards” this season by their own admission.
That implies they were a step forward the season before. In fact, in 2023-24 they got 89 points, and in 2024-25 before the final games they were on 84, more than enough to be champions in many years.
Arteta himself calls the recent years among his proudest moments, even if slightly bittersweet. The club’s leaders understand that closing the gap on City/Liverpool won’t happen overnight.
City had Pep, world-class signings, and luxury of time; Arsenal had a rebuild and a new coach.
Supporters have reason for cautious optimism. Arteta has built a clear identity and has mostly stuck to a plan. They’ve signed young talents (Saliba, Saka, Rice and Ødegaard) who keep getting better.
Next season the plan is to add a striker or two, something the coach has promised. The team’s core will be several years older and wiser in Europe.
In the meantime, Arteta’s message to fans is to appreciate how far they’ve come: “If someone’s better, you have to accept it and try to reach that level.”
At the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Arteta said Arsenal aimed to “finish on a high” by chasing the best defensive record in the league. That says something: even on a disappointment (no trophy) he wants pride in their style and stats, not just trophies.
He’s even given credit to rivals like when Spurs won the Europa League and reminded everyone that success isn’t just about trophies.
Some fans appreciate this down to earth way of thinking, but most of them still want to see a big trophy to believe it.
In simple terms, Arteta’s Arsenal haven’t yet reach the top because a perfect storm of powerful opponents, injuries, missed signings and inexperience has kept knocking them just short. But they’re knocking on the door.
The coaches and veterans frequently say “it hurts but you have to learn” borrowing PSG captain Marquinhos’ example of enduring loss after loss before finally dreaming of a trophy. Some day Arsenal might join that list of heartbreakers turned winners.
The fans know “yet” is the key word. The hope is that the next big run, with a little more luck or energy, will break the curse and put Arsenal where they want to be in Europe’s true top tier.
Arsenal’s near-misses under Arteta boil down to several overlapping issues, the squad was too injury-hit and thin, no big-money striker was brought in, and they’ve been up against the ridiculously well-resourced Man City/Liverpool.
Inexperience in knockout Europe and a bit of bad luck in crunch moments didn’t help either. Yet the club is stronger than before, finishing second thrice and reaching a CL semi is huge progress.
As Thierry Henry admitted, fans can rightly ask “shouldn’t we be going for trophies?”
Arteta’s answer is that they will, but first the team has to solve these problems and get over the final hurdle. One day the “yet” in our title, everything might just work.