In May 2026, Arsenal finally lifted the Premier League title after a 22-year wait. The mastermind behind that triumph was Mikel Arteta, but the Spaniard had to overcome a lot of adversity to get that far.

In 2018, Arsene Wenger, ranked as the greatest manager in Arsenal's history, left North London. He was a club legend, but a decline was clear for all to see in his final few years. Unai Emery failed to ever really get to grips with the scale of the job in hand, and was sacked before Christmas into his second season at the Emirates.

At this point, Arsenal took a huge leap of faith. They opted to hire former captain Arteta, despite the then-37-year-old having never coached a professional club before. As an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, his stock was high, but it was a huge risk to give such responsibility to someone so inexperienced.

As such, it's not surprising to learn that the Gunners' hierarchy, led by former sporting director Edu Gaspar at the time, weighed up a few diffeent coaches before handing Arteta the job. A new article from The Telegraph reveals seven names who were in the running.

Mauricio Pochettino

The Telegraph's Sam Dean reveals that Mauricio Pochettino was in the mix, writing:

"Remarkably, Arsenal had serious conversations with Mauricio Pochettino, who had been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur just a few weeks earlier. Pochettino spent five years at Spurs and was a hugely popular figure there, but numerous sources have said he showed willingness to engage with Arsenal over the possibility of replacing Emery."

Pochettino had spent five years at Spurs, taking the club to a Champions League final before leaving in 2019. He later coached Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and is now in charge of the USMNT. Truth be told, his best years were at Spurs, and he's not reached those same heights since leaving North London. It would have been fascinating to see how he would have managed on the red side of it.

Roberto Martinez

Journalist Dean also claims Roberto Martinez was a "strong candidate who advanced a long way in the process." Although he had Premier League experience with Wigan Athletic and Everton, it's hard to imagine Arsenal fans would have been excited by this move.

The Spaniard was coaching Belgium at the time before later taking charge of Portugal. Despite having supremely talented squads in both nations, he failed to really meet expectations. He's currenlty out of a job after a round-of-16 exit from the 2026 World Cup with Cristiano Ronaldo and co.

Vítor Pereira

One of the more surprising names 'on the initial list' was Vítor Pereira. At the time, the Portuguese coach wouldn't have been that well-known to many in England. He was in charge of Shanghai SIPG from 2017 to 2020, but returned to Europe with Fenerbahce.

He later came to the Premier League, with short spells in charge of Wolves and Nottingham Forest, and is now planning a Premier League return. Hiring Pereira in 2019 would have arguably been more of a gamble than handing Arteta the job. It's no wonder Edu opted against it.

Julian Nagelsmann

Julian Nagelsmann has been linked with Premier League jobs before, although Tottenham have appeared to be the most regularly mentioned. However, it seems as though the German has been on Arsenal's radar for some time.

Considering how he struggled in charge of both Bayern Munich and Germany, it's fair to wonder if he would have also failed to impress at the Emirates. Now 39, Nagelsmann is a free agent after a disappointing World Cup with Die Mannschaft.

Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti, one of the best managers in world football, is arguably the most high-profile name on the list and would have been the most ambitious approach. By that stage, he'd won the Premier League with Chelsea, Serie A with AC Milan, Ligue 1 with PSG, the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and the Champions League with Real Madrid.

Ancelotti would come to England in 2019, actually, but he took charge of Everton instead. He didn't last long before turning to Madrid and winning La Liga twice and two more Champions League titles. As of 2026, Ancelotti is the Brazilian national team head coach.

Massimiliano Allegri

These days Massimiliano Allegri is probably past his prime. Back in 2019, however, he was highly rated by most. As Dean explains: "Allegri had just won his fifth consecutive Serie A title with Juventus and, like Ancelotti, was regarded as a ready-made, elite-level option."

In the years since, though, the Italian has not really delivered. His last Serie A title came with Juve in 2018/19, and he's only won the 2024/25 Coppa Italia since. He was in charge of AC Milan last season, finishing fifth in the league, and is now at Napoli – losing 1-0 at home to Arteta's Arsenal in the first round of Champions League fixtures.

Patrick Vieira

This would have at least been a very popular appointment. Club legends are always greeted with excitement when they return as managers, and Patrick Vieira, who rejected a Man Utd move before joining Arsenal, was a true hero of the Wenger era. While certainly a more-loved captain than Arteta, his managerial career hasn't hit the same heights.

The Frenchman was in charge of Nice at the time but was given the Crystal Palace job in 2021. He did okay at Selhurst Park but failed to truly convince before leaving in 2023. Spells at Strasbourg and Genoa came in the following two seasons, and then he took charge of Senegal in 2026.

In the end, despite his inexperience compared to all the others, Arsenal took a chance on Arteta. Edu explained: "It’s about the feeling, and the feeling was that Mikel was the guy. I showed Josh Kroenke all the processes. There were a lot of things behind it. When he met Mikel, he was extremely surprised about his knowledge and the way he talked, the way he expressed himself, the way he knew the club. In the end, it was an easy call because of the process. Mikel was the best one in almost every aspect.”

It certainly paid off for Arsenal.