In not particularly surprising news, Mikel Arteta has been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Season award.
In his fourth full season in charge of Arsenal, the Spaniard has masterminded a second successive title challenge.
The Gunners sit top of the table with 10 days remaining and could end the campaign with 89 points if they beat Manchester United and Everton in the final two fixtures. It would represent Arsenal’s second highest-ever points tally, one point behind Arsene Wenger’s 2004/04 Invincibles.
It’s also worth noting Arteta’s squad has already matched the Invincibles’ number of wins (26) and set a new highest goals tally (88).
With a little bit of luck, they may also end a 20-year wait for a league title. While their fate rests in the hands of rivals Manch115ter City, if the Blues drop points in any of their three remaining fixtures the Gunners are well-placed to capitalise.
City boss Pep Guardiola, chasing an unprecedented fourth consecutive title, has also been nominated alongside Liverpool’s outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp. Ex-Arsenal head coach Unai Emery also makes the shortlist for his work leading Aston Villa to the cusp of Champions League qualification and fellow Basque Andoni Iraola gets the nod for his impressive debut season at Bournemouth.
Fans have until 12pm (BST) on 13 May to vote. The votes from the public will then be combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the winner, who will be revealed on the eve of the final day of the season.
Well deserved. Super impressed with the bounce back after disappointing performances again Villa and Bayern.
Impressive manager, that lives and breathes footie and Arsenal.
Big Ange is surely a shoe in for this one!
Mate 😉
Ten Hag gives even more pleasure to lots of us. But will be tricky to choose between him and Ange.
Both tactical masterminds, lets wait until Sunday evening before handing out the award
Tbf both of these managers are competent. The teams they are managing are a mess top to bottom. Unai Emery is a proof of how much we know
I personally wasn’t a vociferous Emery out guy certainly not on the grounds of competence but ultimately his lack of english made it impossible given the scale of the job at hand.
As for Ange and Ten Hag, neither seem to have sufficient focus on defence and whilst that might work in Scotland or Holland where superior talent is enough, thats not going to elevate you above mid-upper in the premier league table.
Won London “manager of the year” while failing to beat Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham (and Fulham?). Some manager of the year, that one.
Come on mate, league titles will handle themselves as long as they get the basics right like winning manager of the year awards
Small clubs have to celebrate whatever awards they receive. I mean, I think they hang an annual ribbon stating:
“Participating club in the English Premier League” each season they remain in the EPL. There is a lot of space in the toilet bowl trophy cabinet.
I actually thought you were joking (Sarcastically) at Ange winning the award, only to look it up and find out he did. Too stunned now to say any more than: Why?
You can tell how good we are by the fact we have players that I literally wouldn’t swap for any other player in world football.
Saka
Rice
Odegaard
Saliba
Gabriel
White
Even Havertz is getting there…
And there is no manager in the world I would rather have than Arteta.
Hope he wins it. But don’t care if he doesn’t.
I’m guessing that if we pip City to the title, then he has a chance. Otherwise the narratives are too strong for him to have a hope. Pep 4th in a row, Klopp’s leaving gift, or the Emory redemption all are far more powerful.
Iraola or Arteta for me should get it. One is managing a team to their best ever points tally in a PL Campaign, and the other has made a title winning side in his first ever job as a manager.
But Pep is so so …so*115 good
Iraola should win it – but he won’t.
It’s hard to justify Arteta being Manager of the Season if he wins nothing.
For producing a quality mid-table team at a tiny Dorset club Iraola deserves it.
Boringly, Pep will win it for buying yet another title.
I think Emery will win it. Don’t care.
I think it’ll be between Emery or Arteta. Both are deserving of it, but have feeling Emery might just edge Arteta to the award as people kind of just expect Arsenal to be good these days. Don’t really care to be honest.
Arsenal is blessed with arguably the best young manager in Europe.
Xabi Alonso is close but doing it in the Premier League – a tougher league than Bundesliga – tips it in Arteta’s favour, for me
I’m not saying he should win it but kudos to Klopp as well – considering their injury record, the fact they stayed in the title race with often makeshift squads for so long is respectable.
This season aside, hats off to Liverpool for being the only team who could give City a run for their money (quite literally) – as we experience, it is a great and at the same time draining experience.
Hard to pick one between Mikel, Pep and Klopp. The sheer fact that Mikel’s name is up there with those two speaks volumes though, and he is just getting started.
Duh. Arsenal might yet win the league. It would be preposterous if Arteta weren’t on the shortlist. He won’t win it if Arsenal don’t finish top, but he will if Arsenal do.
The winner will be announced the day before the last game though.
So if the title race is still on until the very last matchweek, that could be a fun situation.