“No Trophy in Three Years – That’s Not Enough” – Thierry Henry Criticizes Arteta’s Arsenal
Former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry believes the team has underachieved under manager Mikel Arteta over the past three years.
Arteta, who joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2019, has helped the club improve and regularly challenge for the Premier League title. However, the Gunners haven’t won any trophies since their FA Cup victory over Chelsea in 2020—Arteta’s first season in charge.
Arsenal has finished second in the Premier League for the last three seasons. This year, they also fell short in the semi-finals of both the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Henry said:
“I’m not saying I’m disappointed with Arsenal, but it’s normal that people are starting to ask questions. It’s been long enough now.”
He explained that managers usually need three or four transfer windows to fully shape their squad, and that Arteta has had that time.
“In the last three years, Arsenal should have at least reached a final or won a cup,” Henry added.
Arsenal have averaged 82 points in each of the last three Premier League seasons. Still, Henry pointed out that Manchester United a club often criticized has made it to five finals and won two trophies in the last five years.
“Everyone laughs at United, but they’ve been in five finals. Arsenal, in three years of rebuilding, haven’t reached one. So I understand why fans are starting to ask if this team should be winning more.”
This isn’t a call for drastic changes, but Arsenal needs to start turning progress into trophies especially after years of building.