Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has joined an elite group of Premier League managers after taking charge of his 250th league match for the club.
The Spaniard reached the milestone on Monday night as Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 1–0 at Villa Park, maintaining their perfect start to the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Arteta became only the 10th manager in Premier League history to oversee 250 matches for a single club. He is also only the second person, after Mark Hughes, to have both played and managed at least 250 Premier League games.
The landmark victory was sealed by Bukayo Saka, who scored in the 59th minute after Riccardo Calafiori pulled the ball back into the area. Arsenal controlled much of the game and held on for their second consecutive clean-sheet victory of the campaign.
The result also improved Arteta’s record to 151 wins, 48 draws and 51 defeats in his 250 Premier League matches with Arsenal. That gives him a 60.4 per cent win percentage, placing him fourth among managers who have reached the 250-game mark with a single Premier League club.
Only three managers have a better record. Former Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola leads the ranking, followed by Sir Alex Ferguson and former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. Arteta’s percentage is ahead of another Arsenal legend, Arsène Wenger, over the comparable milestone.
Arteta’s achievement is particularly notable given the changes at Arsenal since he took over in December 2019. The former Arsenal midfielder inherited a team that had struggled for consistency but gradually rebuilt the squad and established the Gunners as regular Premier League title contenders.
His tenure eventually culminated in Arsenal winning the Premier League title last season, ending the club’s 22-year wait for the championship.
Reflecting on reaching 250 league games, Arteta expressed his gratitude for the support he has received from Arsenal supporters.
“I’m extremely grateful. It starts to be a big number,” the Arsenal boss said after the victory at Villa Park. He added that he was grateful for the support and love from the club’s supporters and pleased to celebrate the milestone with a victory.
The victory over Villa also continued Arsenal’s strong defensive start to the new campaign. The reigning champions have kept clean sheets in both of their opening matches, while Villa have failed to register a shot on target in either of their first two league games.
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