How Arteta led Arsenal back to the EPL Summit
Premier League
By
Killiad Sinide
| May 24, 2026
After 22 years of waiting, Arsenal are champions of England again.
Manchester City’s draw earlier this week confirmed what Arsenal fans had dared to believe for months, the Emirates Stadium will finally be the home of the English Premier League (EPL) trophy.
For a new generation of supporters, this is their first taste of league glory. For older fans, it feels like the end of a very long wait.
The glory of Highbury
The last time Arsenal won the English Premier League title, current captain Martin Odegaard was barely five years old, Bukayo Saka was a toddler while Miles Lewis-Skelly and Max Dowman had not yet been born. Those were the days when Highbury was a fortress, winning felt magical and football was an art.
READ MORE
Degree or dead end? Experts warn Africa must open new doors for its youth
Italy strengthens trade, technology partnership with Kenya at GITEX 2026
Latest protests fuelled by deeper issues
Local investors: The builders Kenya cannot afford to lose
Public policy experts push for expanded infrastructure
How crocodile attacks led to fish farming venture
Kenya to double power imports from Ethiopia to meet demand
KCB shareholders approve Sh22.5b dividend payout
They were the days of Thierry Henry, the legendary French forward who was tormenter-in-chief of Arsenal’s opponents. Fans watched with amusement as the talisman glided past defenders with aplomb, left defenders bewildered and terrorised goalkeepers with his clinical finishes off his magical right foot.
In the 2003-2004 season, the Frenchman won the EPL golden boot with 30 goals, leading his team to an unmatched fete; winning the title unbeaten in all their fixtures. Those were the days of the Invincibles, when Henry was simply unplayable, Patrick Vieira the bulldozing midfielder who commanded Arsenal troops on the pitch and Arsene Wenger, the General who ensured the Gunners shot their way up to helm of English football.
It was not enough that Wenger’s side went unbeaten. Securing the title with a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane, home of fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur, made the achievement even sweeter.
Reflecting on Arsenal’s achievement at the end of that season, Vieira said, “We went the season unbeaten and that is fantastic. I think this team will be remembered forever now.”
But after the glory, came the long wait. Since 2004, Arsenal have won only seven major domestic trophies — four FA Cups and three Community Shields — a modest return for a club that once dominated English football and was expected to compete for league titles every season.
The painful decline
After achieving a feat that has never been replicated in modern English football, what followed was not the continuation of a dynasty, but its slow fading.
From winning three titles in six years, including a domestic double in 2002, the Gunners started misfiring, and for more than two decades, Arsenal fans lived between memory and hope. In Kenya, where the club boasts one of the largest fanbases in Africa, this frustration has been palpable.
“I was only 10 when Arsenal last won the title,” says Maxwell Odhiambo, an ardent Arsenal fan.
“I don’t even remember how football was back then. I just don’t have those memories.”
The decline began almost immediately after the Invincibles season. Arsenal failed to defend their title in 2005, finishing second behind Chelsea, before dropping to fourth place the following season.
Between 2007 and 2016, the North London club consistently finished in the top four, enough to secure UEFA Champions League qualification but rarely enough to seriously challenge for the title. The disappointment deepened in 2016 when the Gunners failed to capitalise on an unpredictable season and watched newly promoted Leicester City complete one of football’s greatest underdog stories.
Although Wenger’s side defeated Chelsea to win the FA Cup in 2017, Arsenal’s failure to qualify for the Champions League soon became unthinkable for a club of its stature. And for five consecutive years, the club failed to qualify for Europe’s most elite competition.
During this difficult period, Wenger faced increasing pressure from fans. When the legendary Frenchman finally stepped down in 2018, his successor, Unai Emery, arrived from Paris Saint-Germain carrying expectations of restoring Arsenal to Europe’s elite.
Instead, the club slipped further, finishing eighth in the league before Emery was dismissed after an underwhelming spell at the Emirates.
“Wenger believed in pure football. He wanted his teams to play beautifully and win clean,” says Odhiambo.
“But this was a forgone philosophy, and Emery paid the price of trying to emulate the legendary manager. Fitting into Wenger’s shoes was just impossible.”
The Renaissance
When Mikel Arteta was appointed Arsenal manager in 2019, few believed the former midfielder would become the architect of the club’s revival.
Although Arteta had helped Pep Guardiola win Premier League titles as an assistant coach at Manchester City, many viewed him as an inexperienced manager unlikely to survive the pressure at Arsenal.
The Spaniard endured a difficult start. Arsenal finished outside the top four for three consecutive seasons as Arteta oversaw a painful rebuild that saw fan favourites such as Mesut Özil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave the club.
“Seeing our star players leave unceremoniously was a bit worrying but Arteta wanted to build a balanced team,” says Odhiambo.
“He didn’t like the technical players like Ozil and Auba because they rarely helped the team defensively and eventually, their egos made it difficult for the manager to work with them.”
Slowly, the rebuild began to take shape.
In the 2022/23 season, Arsenal mounted a thrilling title challenge that reminded supporters of the Highbury era.
The Gunners spent a record 248 days at the top of the table, with Saka, Ødegaard and Gabriel Martinelli leading a fearless new generation.
With just seven matches remaining and an eight-point lead over Manchester City, Arsenal looked destined to end their long wait for the title. But defeats to Nottingham Forest and Brighton, alongside a crushing 4-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium, shattered the dream. Arsenal lost the league to City by five points.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville summed up the collapse after Arsenal’s humiliating 3-0 defeat to Brighton.
"Arsenal have dropped 12 pts in 7 games! Won nine points from a possible 21. All the characteristics of it being too much have appeared," said Neville in a tweet. The result boosted City’s chance of retaining their title.
But Arteta responded by building an even stronger side the following season.
The Spaniard would marshal his forces to mount yet another formidable campaign, his side achieving their highest number of wins (28) and most goals scored (91) in the Premier League era. Arsenal pushed the title race to the final day before narrowly missing out on the title by just two points.
Those failures hurt deeply, especially among Kenyan supporters who endured endless mockery from rival fans. While English football’s fiercest rivalries traditionally involve Liverpool and Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal, and the two Manchester clubs, in Kenya the battle between Arsenal and Manchester United supporters has long dominated football conversations.
The rivalry even inspired local music, captured in Dry Gin and Frakaz’s hit song Gani Kali.
“We have endured so much banter from rival fans over the years because of playing beautiful football with no titles to show for it. Unlike Unai, Arteta built a team with a different identity, that is physicality and grit,” adds Odhiambo.
Some rival supporters have questioned Arsenal’s aggressive style of play and accused referees of favouring the club in crucial moments. But Arsenal fans argue that controversial officiating decisions have also cost them in previous title races.
“Last week West Ham got robbed and today a clear red card wasn’t given,” tweeted Chelsea fan CFC Wasi on his X account.
“Arsenal are rigging their way to win the Premier League. #ARSBUR” The tweet followed a controversial refereeing decision involving Kai Havertz in Arsenal’s most recent match against Burnley. The Arsenal forward was not sent off despite appearing to commit a dangerous foul on a Burnley player.
But Arsenal fans have rubbished those claims, pointing to poor officiating in previous seasons and controversial decisions that eventually cost them the title.
“I would say Arsenal has suffered the most when it comes to poor refereeing decisions. Last season, Liverpool benefitted from controversial decisions, and City in the season before that. Man United was highly favoured during Alex Ferguson’s tenure, so this is an issue that has always been there,” says Odhiambo.
“So don’t accuse us of over-celebrating, we have suffered enough.”
Now, after more than two decades of waiting, the pain, ridicule and near misses have finally given way to celebration.
For years, Manchester United supporters proudly pointed to their club’s dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson while Arsenal fans clung to memories of the Invincibles and the magic of Highbury. But with Arsenal finally reclaiming the Premier League crown, the balance of bragging rights has shifted once again.
Among Kenyan football fans, where the rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United supporters remains one of the fiercest in the game, the celebrations have been impossible to ignore.
“Arsenal have won the league for the first time in 22 years. Credit to the team and manager Mikel Arteta, who has taken more than six years to achieve what Arne Slot and Claudio Ranieri managed in a shorter time,” says Robert Abong’o, a Manchester United supporter.
Still, for Arsenal fans, none of the jokes or criticism matter now.
For now, Gunners have the last laugh. When the Gunners walk out of the tunnel at Selhurst Park today, they will be walking in glory as champions of England once again. And with a major European final against Paris Saint-Germain still ahead, supporters believe this could become one of the greatest seasons in the club’s modern history.
For years, Arsenal fans clung to memories of “49 undefeated” and the glory days of Highbury. Today, a new generation finally has its own story to sing about, not with nostalgia, but with pride.
The wait is over.
Victoria Concordia Crescit.