Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon has said that the Gunners need to win a Premier League title under Mikel Arteta if he is to be considered a success. 

The Gunners have been in two title fights over the past two seasons against Manchester City but Pep Guardiola’s side have got the better of them on both occasions.

They face each other on Sunday in what could be an early title-deciding match, so Mikel Arteta will want to make sure he can get the better of City this time.

Mikel Arteta has been manager at Arsenal since 2019 and has certainly improved the team and the culture at the Emirates, but Dixon believes he will be considered a failure if they don’t win the title.

He told GamblingZone: “ It’s time for Arteta and Arsenal to start winning titles. That’s the natural progression for the progress the club has made over the last few years under Mikel.

“He’s ticked every box and the most difficult one left is winning the Premier League. If he doesn’t achieve that in the next two or three years, he will say that he’s failed. It would be a failure because of the standards that he sets.

“There’s no point in adding depth to the squad and signing better players, playing fancy football if you don’t win anything. The point of management is to improve players and win trophies, and that’s what Mikel will be aiming for. That’s what he’s in it for.”

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal legacy so far

The Spaniard has done an excellent job in improving the club. The season before Arteta took over at Arsenal, the Gunners finished fifth in the league, 28 points of eventual champions Manchester City.

Whereas last season, the Gunners finished just two points behind City almost earning them their first league title since the invincible season in 2003/04.

However, despite Arteta’s success, he has won just one trophy as Arsenal boss, the FA Cup in 2020. Lee Dixon compared the Arsenal manager to his predecessor Arsene Wenger.

He said: “Arteta and Wenger are both stubborn winners. They’ve got that in common. If you’re not an Arsenal supporter, then you could quite easily dislike both of them.”

How does Mikel Arteta compare to Arsene Wenger?

Regarding trophy wins, there is no point comparing the two due to Wenger’s three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup wins. But what about the match record?

Wenger managed Arsenal for 22 years and an incredible 1234 matches, winning 715. In contrast, Arteta has been at the Emirates for five seasons managing 235 games and winning 143.

Mikel Arteta’s win percentage is slightly better than Wenger’s but does that make up for the lack of Premier League titles in his legacy…Lee Dixon thinks not.