LONDON, England, May 28, 2025 – Arsenal have underachieved under manager Mikel Arteta in the past three years, says former captain Thierry Henry.
Arteta, 43, has transformed the Gunners since leaving Manchester City for the club in 2019, making the side regular title challengers.
However, the club have not won a piece of silverware since beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final during Arteta’s first season in charge in 2020.
Arsenal have finished second in the past three Premier League seasons, and they were knocked out at the semi-final stage of the Champions League and Carabao Cup this term.
“I’m not saying that I’m disappointed with Arsenal, but it’s normal that people are raising questions now about what the team is doing,” Henry told the Stick to Football podcast., external
“I understand that at the very beginning you arrive and it’s not your team. You need at the very least three or four transfer windows to change everything that you want to.
“It takes time and you have to give a manager time to be able to implement what he wants to do.
“For the last three years Arsenal have been in a situation where they should have at least brought one cup or [reached] a final.”
Arsenal have averaged 82 points per season over the past three Premier League campaigns.
But Henry used Manchester United, who have won two trophies and competed in five finals during the past five years, as a comparison.
“Manchester United have played in five finals in the last five years, the United that everyone laughs at – whereas for Arsenal in the last three years of building, they’ve not reached a final,” said Henry.
“So I do understand when people ask the question, ‘surely you should compete for a trophy?'”
