Published: 02:00, 11 January 2026 | Updated: 02:00, 11 January 2026

Head coach or manager. The distinction appears cosmetic but, in the modern Premier League, it marks a clear divide in power and influence.

At present, 14 clubs operate with a head coach model. Just six still use the term ‘manager’ - Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Unai Emery (Aston Villa), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace), David Moyes (Everton), Daniel Farke (Leeds) and Pep Guardiola (Manchester City).

Arteta, at 43, is comfortably its youngest member, followed by 49-year-old Farke. It makes his shaping of Arsenal even more remarkable, powered by an intensity which seemingly grips whoever find themselves in his path.

What Arteta has built in north London is not just a team that has finished as league runners-up in three consecutive seasons, from a starting point of 10th place. It is a structure and, crucially, a clarity of authority that many of Arsenal’s rivals have spent years searching for while being beset by public power struggles.

Look at the civil wars at Manchester United and Chelsea, which ended up costing Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca their...