Former Nigeria international Sunday Oliseh has credited Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's organisational discipline and structural stability as the driving forces behind the Gunners' Premier League title triumph — their first in 22 years.

The success marks the culmination of nearly seven years of work by Arteta, who has steered the club from a period of transition and near-misses into domestic champions for the first time since the Invincibles era.

Oliseh's verdict on Arteta

Speaking as a guest on Monday Night Football on SuperSport, Oliseh described Arteta as the "bridge" between tactical evolution and tangible results, singling out his capacity to reshape the squad's identity from the ground up.

The former Super Eagles midfielder revealed he had seen the title coming as far back as October during the 2025/26 season, pointing to Arsenal's defensive solidity as the clearest indicator.

"It's pleasant for me to say it was obvious they were going to be champions as of October. Because you see one thing most people don't try to take note of in football is that, you're not as good as your attacking force, you are as good as your defense."

Oliseh acknowledged that Arteta does not carry a reputation as a flamboyant, creative tactician, but argued that his strength lies in organisation — the ability to impose structure and mould players to a defined system.

"At Arsenal, the manager is not someone that I would say he has got a lot of creativity, when it comes to being creative or putting the flair on how to finish up. But one thing he has is the organization."

Oliseh also highlighted the significance of Arteta's decision to release Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and hand the captaincy to a player he chose to build around, suggesting that choice gave Arteta the authority to shape the dressing room in his own image.

He reserved particular praise for Arsenal's board, crediting the club's hierarchy for their patience and financial backing across four seasons that included three consecutive runners-up finishes.

"The management had patience to give him all these years to be taking second. They have done great, many people don't like the man but he doesn't care and he shouldn't care, that's my opinion."

Arsenal's place in Premier League history

Arsenal's title win ended a painful run that included a heartbreaking 2023/24 campaign in which Manchester City clinched the championship by just 2 points. The Gunners had finished second in each of the three preceding seasons.

With this triumph, Arsenal now hold four Premier League titles — moving 2 ahead of Liverpool in that competition's standings and just one behind Chelsea. Manchester United lead all clubs with 13 Premier League titles, while Manchester City have claimed eight.

Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City remain the only other clubs to have won the Premier League, each with a single title.

Across the entire history of England's top flight, Arsenal have now been champions 14 times, placing them third behind Liverpool and Manchester United, who have both lifted the title on 20 occasions.