Arsenal Legend Thierry Henry Addresses Mikel Arteta’s Trophy Record at the Club

Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has publicly questioned Mikel Arteta’s managerial track record, highlighting the club’s ongoing lack of silverware under his leadership. Speaking candidly, the former striker pointed out that despite some progress, Arsenal fans are justified in demanding more than “second-best finishes” after nearly five years with Arteta at the helm.

Since taking charge in December 2019, Arteta has only added one major trophy to Arsenal’s cabinet — the FA Cup in his debut season — along with two Community Shields. But that hasn’t been enough for Henry, who believes the club is falling short of its ambitions.

With Arsenal finishing runners-up in consecutive Premier League seasons and exiting major tournaments without a title, the pressure is mounting on Arteta to deliver real results. As Henry emphasized, fans aren’t just looking for beautiful football they want trophies to show for it.

“In five seasons, you want to see more than just competing. You want to win,”

Henry noted, drawing a pointed comparison to rivals Manchester United. Despite their struggles, United have still managed to secure more tangible success in recent years.

‘I’m not saying that I’m disappointed with Arsenal, but it’s normal that people are raising questions now about what the team is doing,’ Henry told the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet. 

‘I understand that at the very beginning [for Mikel Arteta] you arrive and it’s not your team, you need at the very least three or four transfer windows to change everything that you want to. 

‘It takes time and you have to give a manager time to be able to implement what he wants to do. 

‘Now, for the last three years Arsenal have been in a situation where they should have at least brought one cup in or a final. 

‘Manchester United have played in five finals in the last five years, the United that everyone laughs at, whereas for Arsenal in the last three years of building, they’ve not reached a final. 

‘So, I do understand when people ask the question, “Surely you should compete for a trophy?”