The China Mail - How Arsenal banished 'nearly men' tag to end 22-year title wait

Pipped to a Champions League place by arch-rivals Tottenham on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign, it seemed unlikely to many Arsenal fans that Mikel Arteta would ever lead them out of the wilderness.

Yet on Tuesday, Gunners boss Arteta completed his quest to take the club back to the promised land as Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Bournemouth sealed a long-awaited Premier League title.

Arsenal's 14th English title is their first since Arsene Wenger's "Invincibles" went unbeaten through the 2003/04 league season at the club's old Highbury ground.

Wenger and his stars cast a long shadow over the Emirates Stadium in the fallow period that followed.

But winning a title fight against a club of City's calibre lifts Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and company into the rarified air occupied by Wenger-era greats such as Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry.

For Arteta, it was the moment the student surpassed his teacher after three years spent learning from Pep Guardiola during his time as City's assistant manager.

The 44-year-old has used those lessons to revitalise a club that was stuck in a rut when he arrived to replace the sacked Unai Emery in December 2019.

Arsenal won the title three times in Wenger's first eight seasons as the trailblazing Frenchman took the Premier League by storm.

But evidence of Wenger's decline could be found in the club's absence from the top two in 12 of his final 14 seasons.

Arsenal's costly move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium in 2006 was blamed for the club's inability to keep pace with big-spending title rivals.

They finished sixth in Wenger's farewell campaign in 2018 -- the club's lowest final position since 1995.

Emery was hired to rejuvenate the north London side but the former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss was a major disappointment.

Arsenal failed to qualify for the Champions League in his first season and were demolished by Chelsea in the Europa League final.

Emery was sacked in November 2019 with the club on their worst winless run since 1992.

- Stamping his authority -

Nuno Espirto Santo and Eddie Howe were reportedly among the candidates to replace Emery.

But the ultra-competitive Arteta, who played for the club for five years, convinced the Arsenal hierarchy to bring him back home.

Despite winning the 2020 FA Cup in his maiden campaign, he endured painful teething problems.

A glimpse into how far Arsenal have come under Arteta's leadership can be garnered from their ramshackle defence -- comprising Saka, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and David Luiz -- in his opening game as manager.

He had to rid the dressing room of divisive egos, stamping his authority by exiling unsettled captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and moving on from Mesut Ozil.

Arsenal finished a lowly eighth in 2020 and 2021, leading to calls for his dismissal.

Yet, gradually, a highly motivated, superbly drilled team fashioned in Arteta's intense image emerged from the turmoil.

Arsenal unexpectedly found themselves in the title race in 2023, but blew an eight-point lead to let Manchester City take the crown.

Twelve months later they suffered the agony of being pipped to the title on the final day of the season by Guardiola's men.

Arsenal came second for a third straight year in 2025, but this time they took a step back, ending 10 points behind champions Liverpool.

While others wrote off the Gunners as "chokers" and serial underachievers, Arteta's belief never wavered.

The Spaniard once compared his work with the daily commute from his home to the club's London Colney training base.

He likened his ability to navigate the busy north London traffic to the way he had to switch tactics and players during his Arsenal overhaul.

For Arteta, and for the club, the long and winding road to the title has come to an unforgettable end.

L.Kwan--ThChM