Jamie Carragher, a former defender for Liverpool and now a well-known TV analyst, has issued a caution to Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta. Carragher suggested that Arteta might lose his job if he doesn’t manage to secure a major trophy in the upcoming season.
The Gunners have finished in second place in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons, behind Manchester City. This time, Liverpool claimed the league title, leaving Arsenal still striving for the top spot.
Under Arteta’s leadership, Arsenal made it to their first Champions League semi-final in 16 years. However, they were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain in both legs, which meant they ended the season without winning any major trophies. During Arteta’s nearly six-year tenure, the most significant trophy he has won is the FA Cup in 2020, shortly after he took charge. Arteta also counts the Community Shields won in 2020 and 2023 among his achievements.
In the aftermath of Arsenal’s spirited 2-2 draw away to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, Carragher reflected on another campaign of near misses for the Gunners. “This season felt like it should have been their season,” the 2005 Champions League winner lamented in his capacity as a Sky Sports pundit. “There’s no doubt next season that the pressure will be on Mikel Arteta massively in terms of winning something and winning something big.
“The Arsenal board, if they don’t [win a major trophy], will have a massive issue because they won’t want to change their manager, but there will be that many people saying: five or six years without a trophy. They will be looking at how many managers can make that next step.”
While Arsenal’s trophy cabinet may not have been dramatically altered under his watch, Arteta has transformed a club which was teetering on the brink of chronic mediocrity back in 2019. The former midfielder inherited a side 11th in the Premier League table with a negative goal difference and has since oversee two of the four highest points totals in Arsenal’s modern history.
As Carragher himself conceded, Arteta has done a “brilliant job”. “Arsenal could easily become what Chelsea are right now. They could go from a team coming second year in, year out to a team that doesn’t actually get into the Champions League.
“[Changing managers] is the big conundrum that Arsenal as a football club will have in 12 months, if Arsenal go close again don’t actually get across the line.”
