List Of Arsenal Managers Till Date

Who are the people on the list of Arsenal Managers till date? Who was Arsenal’s previous manager? Who was the best Arsenal manager? How many managers have Arsenal had in the last 10 years? Who was the Arsenal manager in 1971? Who is the best manager in the world? Who has managed both Arsenal and Tottenham? How many EPL has Arsenal won? How many trophies have Arsenal won? Who was Arsenal’s coach in 2015?

See Also: All Premier League Winners By Year

List Of All Arsenal Managers In Order

Thomas Mitchell (30 March 1897 – 10 March 1898)

It’s not really clear if Mitchell was in fact Arsenal’s first- or second-ever manager as a certain Sam Hollis is credited on the club’s official website as being the club’s first manager. However, other historical sources claim Hollis was only the club’s trainer and thus Mitchell was the Gunners’ first manager – even the club’s own official history agrees with this. Mitchell, who is credited as being Arsenal’s first professional manager, only lasted less than a season on the job

William Elcoat (11 April 1898 – 16 February 1899)

He was offered the post of secretary-manager of Woolwich Arsenal which he accepted and started working. Elcoat’s tenure at Arsenal was quite short, resigning on 20 February 1899 citing difficulties with the club’s board of directors.

Arthur Kennedy (21 February 1899 – 29 April 1899)

Arthur Kennedy served as a caretaker manager in charge of Arsenal for about two months between February 21, 1899, to April 29, 1899.

Harry Bradshaw  (30 June 1899 – 30 April 1904)

Bradshaw joined Second Division Arsenal and achieved promotion with them as well. He signed several influential players and after several seasons of near-misses, Arsenal finished second in 1903-04 and won promotion to the First Division, for the first time in the club’s history.

Phil Kelso (1 May 1904 – 9 February 1908)

Kelso took over as manager of the newly promoted Arsenal in 1904 and managed the club for four years, during which time he took the side to the FA Cup semi-finals two seasons in a row; however, his best in the league was seventh. He had to resign after the club started running into financial trouble and with results declining.

George Morrell (10 February 1908 – 13 April 1915)

In his first full season, he helped the team finish sixth in the League. He is the only Arsenal manager to have overseen a relegation in the 1912-13 season. Due to the suspension of football as a result of World War I, he resigned in April 1915.

James McEwen (19 April 1915 – 24 May 1919)

After Morrell’s resignation in 1915, McEwen, who was a part of Arsenal’s coaching staff, took charge of first-team affairs at the club during the remainder of World War I as a de facto caretaker manager of the team. He was replaced by Leslie Knighton at the end of the war.

Leslie Knighton (25 May 1919 – 16 May 1925)

Just shortly after Arsenal had been promoted to the First Division, Knighton was appointed secretary-manager of the club. During his time at the club, Knighton had countless disagreements with Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris who later dismissed Knighton and replaced him with Herbert Chapman.

Herbert Chapman (11 June 1925 – 6 January 1934)

Chapman laid out a five-year plan for success when he came to the club, and it came to fruition exactly on schedule, as his Arsenal won their first major trophy in the 1930 FA Cup Final. The win spurred Arsenal on and laid the foundations for a decade in which the Gunners would become the dominant team in England and eventually win five league titles. Honours Chapman won include:

• First Division champions: 1930–31, 1932–33
• FA Cup winners: 1929–30
• Charity Shield winners: 1930, 1931, 1933               

Joe Shaw (6 January 1934 – 28 May 1934)

After the shocking demise of Herbert Chapman in January 1934, Shaw became caretaker manager for the rest of the season and carried on Chapman’s good work, as Arsenal won the 1933-34 League title, the third title in the club’s history. George Allison was appointed permanent first-team manager, making Shaw go back to his post as reserves manager.

George Allison (28 May 1934 – 31 May 1947)

Allison was appointed Chapman’s full-time successor and became Arsenal’s second longest-serving manager. Honours won during Allison’s time include:

• First Division champions: 1934–35, 1937–38
• FA Cup winners: 1935–36
• Charity Shield winners: 1934, 1938           

Tom Whittaker (2 June 1947 – 24 October 1956)

After Allison’s retirement in 1947, Whittaker became Arsenal’s new manager and under him, the club won the following titles:

• First Division champions: 1947–48, 1952–53
• FA Cup winners: 1949–50
• Charity Shield winners: 1948, 1953

Jack Crayston (24 October 1956 – 19 May 1958)

After Whittaker’s death in 1956, Crayston was made caretaker manager on 24 October 1956 and permanent manager on 21 December 1956. However, his tenure with the team was short and unsuccessful.

George Swindin (21 June 1958 – 1 May 1962)

Swindin came to manage Arsenal with his side initially starting strongly, finishing third in 1958–59. But the team soon lagged and spent the next three seasons in mid-table despite signing top players. Swindin was unable to bring any silverware to Arsenal and chairman Denis Hill-Wood terminated his contract.

Billy Wright (1 May 1962 – 13 June 1966)

He was appointed manager of Arsenal in 1962 as George Swindins replacement. Initially, the Gunners began strongly under Wright but failed to build on it and their form gradually declined. The Arsenal board had no choice but to dismiss Wright.

Bertie Mee (20 June 1966 – 4 May 1976)

Arsenal hadn’t won a trophy since 1953, but, under Mee as manager, the club won the following titles:

• First Division champions: 1970–71
• FA Cup winners: 1970–71
• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup winners: 1969–70 

Mee resigned as Arsenal’s most successful manager in terms of victories with 241 wins, Arsène Wenger had, however, in 2006 surpassed that number.

Terry Neill (9 July 1976 – 16 December 1983)

Neill was recruited as a replacement for Bertie Mee on 9 July 1976 at the age of 34, becoming the youngest Arsenal manager to date. Before his seven-year spell as manager of Arsenal, he was Hull City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Northern Ireland’s coach. The title he won is listed below:

• FA Cup winners: 1978–79            

Don Howe (16 December 1983 – 22 March 1986)

Howe became Arsenal’s caretaker-manager and was appointed permanently afterwards. Despite bringing young players to the team, he was unable to win trophies for the Gunners. And after about two years on the job, Howe resigned.

Steve Burtenshaw (23 March 1986 – 14 May 1986)

Burtenshaw was caretaker manager of Arsenal between March and May 1986, after the resignation of Don Howe as a manager. He however returned to his coaching role after the club appointed George Graham.

George Graham (14 May 1986 – 21 February 1995)

After an interview for a position he never even applied for, the Arsenal directors appointed Graham as their new manager. Arsenal finished fourth in Graham’s first season in charge, and they went on to win the 1987 League Cup. Titles won under Graham include the following:

• First Division champions: 1988–89, 1990–91
• FA Cup winners: 1992–93
• Football League Cup winners: 1986–87, 1992–93
• Charity Shield winners: 1991 (shared)
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup winners: 1993–94           

Stewart Houston (21 February 1995 – 15 June 1995)

Houston was assistant manager to George Graham and was twice Arsenal’s caretaker-manager: first for three months in 1995 after Graham’s sacking in February 1995.

Bruce Rioch (15 June 1995 – 12 August 1996)

Rioch had only one season with Arsenal and guided the club to a UEFA Cup place, finishing fifth in the Premiership. But just before the start of the following season, Rioch was sacked over a dispute with Arsenal’s board of directors over transfer funds.

Stewart Houston (12 August 1996 – 13 September 1996)

After Arsenal had appointed Bruce Rioch in the summer of 1995, Houston stayed on as his assistant. And just over a year after his appointment, Rioch was sacked, and Houston was reappointed as the caretaker.

Pat Rice (13 September 1996 – 30 September 1996)

Rice was briefly caretaker manager of Arsenal after the resignation of Stewart Houston, who himself was caretaker after the sacking of Bruce Rioch.

Arsène Wenger (1 October 1996 – 13 May 2018)

Wenger was the longest-serving and most successful manager in Arsenal’s history, serving from 1996 to 2018. Titles he won while in charge of the Gunners include:

• Premier League champions: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04
• FA Cup winners: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17
• Charity/Community Shield winners: 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2017

Unai Emery (23 May 2018 – 29 November 2019)

Emery was appointed as head coach of Arsenal, succeeding Arsène Wenger and finished Europa League runner-up in his first season. But following a series of poor results and a winless run of seven games, Emery was dismissed by Arsenal in November 2019.

Freddie Ljungberg (29 November 2019 – 21 December 2019)

Following Unai Emery’s dismissal, Ljungberg was announced as Arsenal’s interim head coach. He was retained as the first-team assistant coach after Mikel Arteta was appointed.

Mikel Arteta (22 December 2019 – Present)

Arteta is the current manager of Arsenal Football Club after signing a deal until 2023 as head coach. So far, he has won the following titles:

• FA Cup winners: 2019–20
• Community Shield winners: 2020    

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This article was updated 7 months ago