Is Mikel Arteta a top-five manager in world football? Ex-Arsenal star explains why Premier League title win puts Gunners boss in elite coaching company

Unai Emery was given the responsibility of succeeding Arsene Wenger in north London, following the iconic Frenchman’s departure in 2018 after 22 years at the helm, but it took another Spanish tactician to get the Gunners back on top.

Arteta - who had spent five seasons with Arsenal as a player, taking on captaincy duties before heading into retirement - was handed the reins in December 2019 as head coaching teeth were cut after learning his trade alongside Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

Former employers at the Etihad Stadium have - along with Liverpool - eventually been toppled after three consecutive seasons as Premier League runners-up. City could also be emulated when capturing the most prestigious of European crowns for the first time in Arsenal’s glittering history.

It has not always been a smooth ride to this point for Arteta, with the odd question being asked of his ability to capture the grandest of prizes, but the 44-year-old has never backed down from a challenge or given anything less than 100 per cent while filling a demanding post.

Is he now one of the very best in the business - alongside the likes of Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Diego Simeone and Carlo Ancelotti? When that question was put to Senderos, the former Arsenal defender - speaking exclusively to GOAL in association with Spreadex Sports - said: “I think if you had one goal when you hire a young coach, it's for him to develop the team and to make them title contenders. So, he was doing this until now and now he's actually won the Premier League with this team and this squad. So, yeah, getting them over the line was very important.

“Is he a top five manager? I mean, who is capable of winning the Premier League? Not many in the world, so definitely he has a lot of credit for this.”

Domestic supremacy has been savoured by Arsenal for the first time since their fabled ‘Invincibles’ of 2003-04. They could go one better than that group by conquering the continent. Would that achievement - with history being made in the process - trump the exploits of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Co from more than two decades ago?

Senderos added when presented with that poser: “I think it's different things. There are Arsenal teams that have won the title before, so this is something extra.

“Winning the Champions League is obviously incredible for the club's history, but being Invincible, it's something that is difficult to repeat overall. So, yeah, I don't know what's bigger, but in today's modern day and age, of course, being Invincible is unbelievable and doing a double league and Champions League is also something - a unique feat.”

Arsenal’s success has been built on solid foundations, with goalkeeper David Raya winning the Premier League Golden Glove across three successive seasons, while the art of scoring from set-pieces has been mastered.

The Gunners have not blown their opposition away, but have found ways of picking up victories by any means necessary. Quizzed on whether that tactical approach deserves more credit, with opponents yet to find a way of stopping Arsenal over a dead ball, Senderos said: “It's not a one-trick pony. They've scored many, many different types of goals from set-pieces. They've identified something in the modern game and they really took advantage of it. It has unlocked a lot of games for them and it's allowed them to get their nose in front.

“Knowing how well they work defensively, how well they're organised and how little they give to the opposition, it's given them a huge platform to go on and win games. Winning 1-0, yes, boring Arsenal 1-0, but it really shows the stability and the strength in this squad and in this team.”

Arsenal have two more games in to take in this season, with nothing now riding on a Premier League final day trip to Crystal Palace. The Premier League trophy will, however, be hoisted aloft on Sunday as several years of hard work finally pay off.

On May 30, the Gunners will attempt to dethrone Paris Saint-Germain as the kings of European football when facing Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Co at the Puskas Arena in Budapest - with Arteta seeking to further enhance his legacy on Hungarian soil.