Mikel Arteta admitted he felt honoured to be given the chance to manage his 300th game with Arsenal against West Ham United on Saturday.
The Gunners took a huge risk when they appointed Arteta in December 2019, given he had no senior management experience and had spent just three years working under Pep Guardiola as an assistant at Manchester City.
Six years later and Arteta has overseen a drastic overhaul at Arsenal, who are now perennial Premier League title challengers and widely hailed as one of the top sides in Europe. Indeed, across his 299 games in charge, he boasts a win percentage (58%) which exceeds those from club legends like Arsène Wenger, Herbert Chapman and George Graham.
“I feel very privileged, I’m really enjoying what I do with the people that do it, and we know in our job it’s about winning a lot of football matches if you want to stay in the job,” Arteta reflected.
“The other thing is while we are doing this, make sure as well that we enjoy our profession because it’s got, in my opinion, some of the most beautiful things that you can experience in life, and trying to do both things at the same time.”
He continued: “Even with that winning rate, we haven’t won major trophies, so that shows the level.
“That’s why you have to do what has been done before, but the level is not enough, it has to be much more. It is much more difficult, but that’s what we’ll try to focus on doing.”
Highest Win Percentage Among Arsenal Managers
*Accurate as of Oct. 4, 2025, 3:00 p.m
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mikel Arteta Reaches ‘Privileged’ Arsenal Milestone Against West Ham.
