From hunters to hunted: Arsenal ready to retain Premier League crown

(Corrects paragraph 1 to say Arsenal ended 22-year wait for Premier League title, not 24)

By Rohith Nair

Aug 14 : Arsenal finally ended a 22-year wait to win the Premier League title last season but history shows that successfully defending it is a rare achievement, leaving manager Mikel Arteta with the unenviable task of turning a breakthrough into a habit.

Only three managers - Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola - have retained the Premier League crown, a reminder that England's cut-throat top flight has a habit of consuming champions almost as quickly as it celebrates them.

Arteta enters the 2026-27 campaign attempting to join that exclusive company, no longer the hungry challenger looking up but the man everyone else is trying to knock down.

LONGEST-SERVING MANAGER

At 44, Arteta is still younger than many imagine when they hear the word "veteran", yet the Spaniard begins the new campaign with over 350 games in charge of the North London club and as the Premier League's current longest-serving boss.

In a league famous for its lack of patience with managers, Arteta has outlasted cycles of optimism and panic, expensive revolutions and emergency rebuilds, while around him benches have become revolving doors, not least among the "Big Six".

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all begin this season under new managers, while Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are still finding their feet after changing coaches earlier this year.

Stability could become Arsenal's greatest competitive advantage and remaining steadfast in their support of Arteta is what guided them to the promised land after three runner-up finishes.

"We have even more responsibility and more ambition than before. We know what is ahead," Arteta said.