It’s a case of when and not if Arsenal announce that Mikel Arteta has extended his contract at the Emirates.The Spaniard is easily the current longest-serving manager in the Premiership, with his latest deal expected to mean he will have been in charge of the Gunners for over a decade.Since returning to the club he captained, the 44-year-old has lifted the Premiership and FA Cup.He was a penalty shoot-out away in the Champions League Final from doing something no man has done in our history.To celebrate, let’s rank all of his seasons from worst to best.I have not based this list purely on his league position but have considered context and how each campaign made me feel.2020-2021 – 8thFor the first time in a quarter of a century, Arsenal failed to qualify for Europe, a stat that at other clubs our size would have led to a manager being sacked.Instead of a consecutive eighth-place finish, as well as the disgraceful plans to form a Super League, Josh Kroenke was forced to sit down with Arteta, BFG and Edu to make an action plan for all departments of the business to ensure this rock bottom wouldn’t happen again.It can’t be a coincidence that the Gunners had their worst season in 25 years when playing in empty stadiums, but COVID can’t be held entirely responsible.For half the campaign, Ozil had been paid to sit at home before his contract was ripped up – a habit that would become too familiar.Can a coach, on one hand, bemoan a lack of creativity in his team yet not register a World Cup winner in his squad?2021-2022 – 5thThis campaign divided the fanbase.Some called fifth progress.Others argued it was achieved by the same man who took us to two eighth-place finishes.You could also argue better man-management would have got us into the top four?Rightly or wrongly, Arteta clearly had the trust of the owners to wash his hands of talent who didn’t suit his ethos, even if it meant the club taking a financial hit.The only issue with that is a young manager thinking it’s normal practice to just give up on players instead of coaching them to be better.For the second year running, one of our highest earners was being paid to sit at home.Some Gooners will argue that, in the long term, it was crucial our manager made an example out of Aubameyang to send a message to his young dressing room that a lack of standards wouldn’t be tolerated.Was there not a way, though, for all parties to be professional until the summer, the striker fires us back into the Champions League, and then everyone goes their separate ways?Instead, despite having zero inclination to play his captain again, he was given to Barcelona with zero replacement brought in because the priority was slashing the wage bill.With a straight face, our boss tried to convince us that Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah were enough firepower.They were not!2024-2025 – 2ndSome would argue that Premiership runners-up and Champions League semi-finals aren’t the end of the world. Yet in sport, it’s not if you win or lose but how.Most supporters of any club just want to see their team, on and off the pitch, try to be the best version of themselves.In the January transfer window, Liverpool couldn’t believe their luck as Arsenal essentially waved the red flag in the title race.I don’t think it was really Arteta’s fault. The Spaniard stressed that injuries had left his squad short in attack, so he needed some help.Help that never arrived.Leaving our manager having to play a midfielder up front and full-backs as attacking subs.2019-2020 – 8th, FA CupWhile many feel he’s since proven that maybe he deserved more of a chance in North London, there’s no denying the final months of Unai Emery’s reign were miserable.It got to the point you no longer knew what the Gunners’ identity was.In his first job as manager, our former captain said all the right things, talking about having non-negotiable principles and not tolerating anyone who wouldn’t follow his ethos.Was he saying what he thought Gooners wanted to hear, or was he serious?By the end of his first season in charge, the likes of Ozil and Guendouzi were frozen out of the squad, and more would follow.Ozil’s last game as a Gunner was to assist a winning goal. So how did he go from that to never playing for us again?Something must have happened during the break when the sport was forced to stop due to COVID?Such as the German refusing to take a pay cut until he knew what our billionaire owners planned to do to support non-playing staff.The manner in which we lifted our 14th FA Cup was an early hint of Arteta’s ability to set up a team and make them hard to beat.2023-2024 – 2ndFor the second season running, Mikel Arteta finished runners-up to his mentor, but this time his men could not be accused of bottling anything, taking the title race to the final day.Playing arguably the most attractive football since he became a manager, Arsenal won 16 of their final 18 league fixtures, with the draw being at the Etihad.It meant one poor half against Aston Villa cost the Gunners everything.Before kick-off, we watched Liverpool drop points at Anfield, meaning we kicked off with our destiny in our own hands.The pressure was too much, and along with the second leg of a Champions League quarter-final, we let the moment pass us by… again.2022-2023 – 2ndOne of the things our ex-skipper wanted to fix when he returned to North London was the atmosphere at the Emirates, which had so often been mocked by others.This was the season where fans fell back in love with those wearing the red and white shirt.Arsenal flew out of the traps, and by the time the season was paused for the World Cup, they had a five-point lead at the top of the Premiership.It was, though, the youngest squad in the division, and there was always a fear that our dressing room wouldn’t have enough leaders to get us over the line when it was squeaky-bum time.Whereas Man City not only handled the pressure of a title race, they did so with a smile on their face; the Gunners were crippled by a fear of failure.It was generally accepted, though, that if that group could stay together, it would one day happen for them.(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)2025-2026 – 1stMikel Arteta was smart enough to know the narrative.While I don’t believe the Kroenke family would have lost faith, our manager knew he had to eventually get over the line, or else Gooners would become divided.So, having tried to play a more attractive brand of football in the years before, the Spaniard reviewed what ways the Gunners could be better than Man City.This included being creative at set-pieces and the whole team working to be the best in the division defensively off the ball.No Premiership champions have had the criticism Arsenal had, largely due to their style of play. However, isn’t the measurement of a good coach someone who, on the training pitch, hides the negatives and accentuates the positives?Now that he’s got over the line, more trophies should be more straightforward.Dan SmithWhere would you rank Mikel Arteta’s seasons at Arsenal? Do you agree with Dan’s order, or is there a campaign you would move significantly higher or lower? Let us know in the comments._____________________________________________________________________________________________ADMIN COMMENTSo here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! 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