Should Arsenal move on from Arteta if Champions League eludes them? | OneFootball

There is a romance to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, the stirring nights in Europe, the high-octane pressing, the sense of a club reborn. Yet football, for all its poetry, is a results business. If another season passes without silverware, the time may have come for Arsenal to seek a new custodian for their ambitions.

Arteta has been given the kind of backing most managers only dream of. Hundreds of millions spent, a club hierarchy unwavering in support, and a fanbase desperate for glory after years in the wilderness. The Spaniard has delivered progress: Arsenal now play with verve and unity, challenging the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid, and breaking club records for points and goals. But progress, however intoxicating, cannot be the end in itself. After six years, there is only an FA Cup to show for it.

Arsenal’s near-misses have been agonising. Last season, the Gunners amassed 89 points, their best tally in decades, only to finish runners-up again. Champions League nights have returned, but the trophy cabinet remains bare. One wonders if Arteta, for all his tactical acumen and emotional intelligence, has taken this team as far as he can.

(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

There is no shame in reaching a ceiling. Even the greatest managers sometimes find that the next step requires a different voice, a new vision. Arteta’s Arsenal have character, style, and resilience, but the final leap – from contenders to champions – has proven elusive. The club’s ambitions demand more than honourable failure.

Of course, everything changes if Arsenal overcome Paris Saint-Germain in the upcoming Champions League semi-final and then triumph against either Barcelona or Inter Milan in the final. Such a feat would not only deliver the club’s first major European success in nearly two decades but also elevate Arteta to legendary status, forever etched in Arsenal’s history.

If, however, come the end of this season, Arsenal remain without major silverware, the case for change will be compelling. Arteta deserves gratitude and respect for the transformation he has overseen. But sentiment cannot outweigh the need for tangible success. Arsenal, simply, must win – and if they cannot under Arteta, it may be time for someone else to finish the job he so admirably began.