Top 5 Arsenal Managers of All Time

We look at the top 5 Arsenal managers of all time who have shaped the club’s illustrious history and became immortal pillars of the Gunners’ identity.

By Sportypoll Staff I June 4, 2025

Arsenal FC rank among one of England’s most successful football clubs, with only Manchester United and Liverpool having won more domestic league titles than them. The men who have secured a spot in our selection of the top 5 Arsenal managers of all time are all visionary tacticians and assumed leadership at the club in various past eras. They shared a common thread throughout their tenure: success.

So, let us uncover who stands as the paramount managers in Arsenal’s long and remarkable history.

5. Tom Whittaker (1947-1956)

The 1953-54 Arsenal squad with the League Championship and Charity Shield trophies: (back row, l-r) Jack Crayston, Arthur Shaw, Don Oakes, Cliff Holton, Arthur Milton, Jack Kelsey, Bill Dodgin, Peter Goring, Len Wills, Reuben Marden, J Shaw, W Milne (front row, l-r) Joe Wade, Don Roper, Lionel Smith, Alex Forbes, manager Tom Whittaker, Jimmy Logie, Doug Lishman, Wally Barnes, Dave Bowen.

Tom Whittaker first served Arsenal as a player. However, his playing career came to an abrupt halt due to a knee injury, prompting him to join the Arsenal coaching staff during Herbert Chapman’s tenure. Following Chapman’s passing, the Hampshire native retained his role as a trainer under George Allison. Whittaker also contributed his expertise as a trainer for the England national team.

Whittaker’s role as a trainer was deemed crucial for Arsenal’s success during the Chapman era. He was lauded for revolutionising and modernising the club’s training and physiotherapy methods. Whittaker continued to excel at this role under Alisson. However, upon Alisson’s retirement, he was called upon to assume a more significant role within the team.

Whittaker stepped into Alisson’s shoes in 1947 and enjoyed success straight away. He led the club to the domestic title in his debut season in 1947/48. Two seasons later, he would lift the FA Cup at Wembley as the Arsenal manager — an accomplishment that had eluded him during his playing days for the Red and White. Whittaker would win the league once again in 1952/53, matching Alisson’s managerial haul of two domestic league titles.

George Allison and Tom Whittaker enjoyed comparable successes as managers at Arsenal, though Whittaker boasted a marginally superior win record. Alisson oversaw 279 matches with a 46% win rate, while Whittaker maintained a 47% win record in 429 games. Furthermore, we contend that Whittaker became the manager at a more challenging time. Unlike Alisson, Whittaker did not benefit from inheriting Chapman’s historic team.

Join Our Football Community Follow Us

Join Our Football Community , Follow Us

4. Bertie Mee (1966-1976)

Arsenal team group, 1970-71. (Back row, L-R) Wright (trainer), Bob McNab, Peter Storey, Peter Simpson, Geoff Barnett, Bob Wilson, John Roberts, Ray Kennedy, Peter Marinello and Don Howe (coach). (Front row, L-R) Charlie George, John Radford, George Armstrong, Jonathon Sammels, Frank McLintock, manager Bertie Mee, Pat Rice, Eddie Kelly, George Graham, and Sammy Nelson.

Like Whittaker, Bertie Mee was a part of the Arsenal coaching staff before taking on the managerial job. It did raise quite a few eyebrows, however, when Arsenal appointed Mee as the manager after sacking Billy Wright. This turn of events might have taken aback Mee himself, as he stipulated a return to the physiotherapist role in his contract after 12 months.

The former Royal Army Medical Corps sergeant boasted an impressive football background, albeit solely in physiotherapy at that time. Was he the right man to lead a club that had been trophyless since 1953?

Mee swiftly silenced his critics by guiding the club to two consecutive League Cup finals in 1968 and 1969. Although the Gunners had to settle for runner-up medals on both occasions, the club’s supporters were delighted to witness their team back in contention for trophies once again. Arsenal’s prolonged drought for silverware would finally conclude under Mee’s leadership just a year later, marking a particularly memorable achievement.

Arsenal won their maiden European trophy in 1970 as they overcame a 3-1 first-leg deficit against Anderlecht in the Fairs Cup final to win the tie 4-3 on aggregate. It marked a proud occasion for Mee, but his crowning glory was still a year away when the Gunners claimed another first in their history: the domestic double. Mee could not add further silverware to the cabinet beyond that season, yet his legacy endures for reigniting the winning ethos at Highbury.

3. George Graham (1986-1995)

Arsenal manager George Graham celebrates, after the team paraded the European Cup Winner’s Cup through North London.

George Graham is another name on our top 5 Arsenal managers list who has represented the club both on the pitch and in the dugout. He was a key part of Bertie Mee’s iconic 1970/71 double-winning team and went on to have an incredibly successful career as Arsenal’s boss, guiding the Gunners to six trophies during his nineyear tenure. The Scotsman suffered an unceremonious end to his Arsenal managerial career after a Premier League inquiry found him guilty of illegally receiving a hefty £425,000 payment from an agent, but that could not undermine his legacy as an Arsenal legend.

After leaving Arsenal as a player in 1972, Graham returned to Highbury as the new manager. The Arsenal hierarchy was impressed by Graham’s work, and their confidence in him was swiftly justified when Arsenal secured their first trophy since 1979, triumphing in the League Cup in 1987. Graham led the team to clinch the league title and repeated the feat in the 1990-91 season. He was also at the helm when Arsenal claimed the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, which was their second European trophy, in 1994. The Gunners have not won any European silverware since.

George Graham also deserves credit for bringing in players like Ian Wright and David Seaman to the squad. He forged one of the most formidable defensive setups that English football has ever seen. Since 1888-89, there have been just four occurrences of a team seeing out their league campaign by conceding fewer than 20 goals. Remarkably, Arsenal achieved this feat twice! Firstly, under Graham during the 90/91 season, and secondly, under Arsene Wenger, with the foundation of Graham’s defensive structure still intact.

Join Our Football Community Follow Us

Join Our Football Community , Follow Us

2. Herbert Chapman (1925-1934)

Arsenal squad 1932-33: Back row (l-r): Tom Parker, Charlie Jones, Frank Moss, Herbie Roberts, Bob John, Tommy Black; Front row (l-r): manager Herbert Chapman, Joe Hulme, David Jack, Jack Lambert, Alex James, Cliff Bastin, assistant manager Tom Whittaker.

It’s impossible to talk about the best Arsenal managers of all time without bringing up Herbert Chapman, the harbinger of the club’s first golden age. Chapman was already an accomplished manager when he took charge of Arsenal in 1925, having won two First Division titles and an FA Cup with Huddersfield Town. Chapman orchestrated Arsenal’s transformation from relegation contenders to a dominant force in the First Division by successfully implementing the WM formation.

Chapman devised a five-year blueprint for success that bore fruit at precisely the right moment! In the Chapman era, Arsenal secured their initial major trophy in 1930, coinciding precisely with his five-year tenure at the club. Upon assuming control and cementing his tactical strategy, he began assembling a squad tailored to his vision of relentless, counter-attacking football. After a few near misses, Arsenal clinched two league titles and a FA Cup under Chapman-haul that might have been greater had he not tragically passed away unexpectedly at the age of 55.

1. Arsene Wenger (1996-2018)

Arsene Wenger poses with the FA and League Cups as the team take a victory tour from the Highbury ground to Islington Town Hall to celebrate Arsenal’s cup double.

Arsenal and Arsene Wenger still sound synonymous even though it has been many years since the Frenchman left the club. The 22-year relationship between him and the club ended on a somewhat bitter note, with fans displaying ‘Wenger Out’ banners due to the team’s disappointing performances. Arsenal bid him farewell with a grand ceremony at the Emirates, but it fell short of being a perfect goodbye in many respects.

Arsene Wenger’s appointment at Arsenal came as a surprise following Bruce Rioch’s dismissal. While he had previously won Division 1 with Monaco, his two-year absence from European football to manage in the Japanese top-flight raised doubts among the Arsenal faithful regarding his credentials.

Wenger proved his mettle by disregarding the hostile British media to become the first foreign manager to secure a double in English football, all achieved within only his second season. Wenger deployed a fascinating yet efficient style of football that captivated football lovers worldwide.

Arsenal won three Premier League titles in the first seven years of the Wenger era, including the historic 2003/04 season, in which the Gunners went unbeaten. To this day, Arsenal remains the only Premier League team to have achieved this feat. Wenger was agonisingly close to delivering Arsenal their first Champions League title in 2006, but a 2-1 loss to Barcelona in the final prolonged their wait for the most cherished prize in European football.

After moving to the new stadium, Arsenal had to let go of many of their star players. Wenger remained loyal to the club regardless and made sure the club secured regular Champions League football to keep the club financially healthy. He signed off in 2018 with three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups to his name.