The demands are different — Did Mourinho mock Arteta and Arsenal?

José Mourinho appears to have taken a swipe at the patience Arsenal have shown Mikel Arteta, suggesting the Spaniard’s claim that his project is only beginning after nearly seven years in charge would not be accepted at Real Madrid.

The Real Madrid manager’s remarks came ahead of Real Madrid’s clash against Villarreal, two days after Arsenal announced that Arteta had signed a new contract until 2030. 

The extension rewards the Spaniard after he led the Gunners to the 2025/26 Premier League title, ending a 22-year wait for the championship.

Mourinho pointed to Arteta’s comments surrounding the new deal as an example of the contrasting expectations placed on managers at Arsenal and Real Madrid.

“Mikel Arteta renewed his contract and said something like: ‘We are still starting, this is just the beginning’ … and he has been there for years,” Mourinho said.

“I see something interesting that would not happen at Real Madrid,” Mourinho said. “The demands here are just different.”

Arteta arrived at Arsenal in December 2019, initially taking charge of a club that had finished fifth in the Premier League the previous season. 

His first major trophy was the 2019/20 FA Cup, but sustained league progress took longer: Arsenal finished second in three consecutive seasons from 2022/23 to 2024/25 before winning the Premier League in 2025/26.

His new deal until 2030 gives him the opportunity to build on that breakthrough, as the Gunners hope to start a dynastic run. 

Mourinho knows the demands of the Bernabéu from his first spell as Real Madrid manager between 2010 and 2013. 

He won the 2010/11 Copa del Rey, the 2011/12 LALIGA title and the 2012 Spanish Super Cup during that period, but his tenure was also defined by the pressure to challenge Barcelona and deliver European success.

His current Madrid side entered the weekend six points behind Barcelona in the LALIGA standings. Barcelona had 21 points from seven matches, while Madrid had 15, having won five and lost two of their opening seven league games.

Madrid are due to face Villarreal on Saturday, October 10, with Mourinho’s team needing a response to prevent the gap from growing. 

The remarks also revive Mourinho’s history with Arsenal, a club he repeatedly challenged during his years in English football.

He managed Chelsea in two spells, from 2004 to 2007 and 2013 to 2015, before taking charge of Manchester United from 2016 to 2018 and Tottenham Hotspur from 2019 to 2021. 

Those three clubs all have significant rivalries with Arsenal, whether through (North) London Derbies or battles for Premier League position.

His most prominent personal feud was with former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger. Their exchanges became a defining subplot of the Premier League in the 2000s and 2010s, with Mourinho repeatedly criticising Wenger and Arsenal’s approach.

The rivalry was particularly intense when Mourinho’s Chelsea challenged Wenger’s side for domestic honours.

Mourinho won three Premier League titles with Chelsea, in 2004/05, 2005/06 and 2014/15. Arsenal’s last league title before Arteta’s 2025/26 triumph came in 2003/04, when Wenger’s team completed the season unbeaten, before the Portuguese landed on British shores.