The Premier League has released its list of nominees for the October awards, spotlighting individuals who distinguished themselves across the month’s fixtures.

Once again, Mikel Arteta earns a place among the contenders after guiding Arsenal to a flawless Premier League run, winning all three games without conceding.

But while his credentials stand tall, strengthened further by perfect form in Europe and the domestic cup, the mood around North London isn’t one of total celebration. Instead, quiet caution lingers.

History has turned this award into something more than recognition, because for many, it has become a warning. And this time, Arsenal’s fear of disrupting their growing momentum might outweigh the thrill of Arteta claiming yet another managerial honour.

Nevertheless, the Spaniard was not the only impressive manager during the month, and the performance being limited to Premier League games means several other coaches whose teams also stood out in the league share the winning sentiment.

Nominees: Premier League Manager of the Month - October 2025

Ruben Amorim and Unai Emery, managers of Manchester United and Aston Villa respectively, also had a 100 percent record in the Premier League during the month, and have been nominated, with Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola completing the list.

Ruben Amorim started by beating Sunderland and Liverpool to secure back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time, with the win at Anfield being United's first away to Liverpool since a 1-0 victory in January 2016.

The third was sealed with a 4-2 win over Brighton, who had won each of their previous three visits to Old Trafford before kickoff on the evening of United's win.

Unai Emery kicked off the month with a narrow win over Burnley, and after the return from the international break, his team defeated Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City on important dates.

Iraola's Bournemouth won seven of the available nine points to move second on the log. They defeated Fulham and Forest and shared a point in a six-goal thriller with Crystal Palace — no team scored more than their eight Premier League goals in October, level with Manchester United.

Why Arsenal might not want Mikel Arteta to win award?

Mikel Arteta has won the Premier League Manager of the Month on seven occasions, last winning it in February 2024, when Arsenal won all four games, beating Liverpool, Burnley, West Ham United, and Newcastle United.

Since then, he has received multiple nominations but has not been able to land another one, and even though his side have been dominant during the month of October 2025, it is highly unlikely that he will win it this time.

It is not that it is not deserved, but winning this award is viewed as a bad omen, as some of the previous winners have gone on to have bad runs in the months that followed their recognition as the Premier League Manager of the Month.

The curse of Premier League Manager of the Month award

Most notably, since the turn of the year, Manager of the Month winners in the Premier League have struggled in the following month, starting with Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, who followed a perfect January run with one win and three losses in February after winning the award.

Then followed David Moyes. The Scottish manager led Everton to a satisfying run in February and was crowned, only to follow it with three losses and one win in seven games in the month of March.

Nuno Espirito Santo was crowned Premier League Manager of the Month in March after guiding Nottingham Forest close to a Champions League spot. His team ended up missing out on the top five after winning just three of their final nine games.

April was the turn of Vitor Pereira, which was the final award of the season. The curse has been transferred into the new season as his Wolves team comfortably sit at the base of the table, yet to record a win after 10 games.

Defending champions Liverpool were the only team to win all three games in the first month of the season, and Arne Slot was crowned as the Premier League Manager of the Month. Even though they struggled and won their following two games, they lost the four that followed and fell out of European places from the top.

Crystal Palace wrapped up September with a win over Liverpool that left them the only team without a Premier League loss at the time, but after winning the Manager of the Month, Oliver Glasner couldn't help his team go winless in all three games in October.

They kicked it off with their first loss of the season at Everton, while the home draw to Bournemouth produced their only point, as they got beaten at Arsenal in their final league game of the month.

Arsenal, who are now on their best run under Mikel Arteta after beating Burnley to make it nine consecutive wins, are desperate for it not to stop, and are wary the curse of the Manager of the Month award could affect their form.

November has some tough fixtures in store for the Gunners, with league derbies against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, while they tackle Bayern Munich in the Champions League as they hope to keep their 100 percent group/league phase home run under Mikel Arteta.

Whether or not the Premier League Manager of the Month curse is indeed real, they won't want to find out with their own club, as they need to establish enough advantage at this time of the season when their main competitors struggle for consistency.

Who is most likely to win PL Manager of the Month in October 2025?

Out of the four nominees, one of Unai Emery and Ruben Amorim is most likely to be crowned winner of the award due to their perfect record, context, and the level of opposition played.

Beating both Spurs and Manchester City gives Unai Emery the best shout, but Ruben Amorim also conquered Liverpool in Anfield, beat high-flying Sunderland and scored the joint most goals during the month.

It would be close between the two managers, and any winner among the two would be deserving of the award, but even before the announcement, it appears the curse is starting to take effect.

Both Aston Villa and Man United failed to win their first games of October, with the former losing 2-0 at Liverpool while Manchester United had Amad Diallo's late equalizer to thank for their only point at Forest.

The season is still young, and Arsenal would hope that this cup passes their manager, to avoid any unfortunate drama as they enter a crucial month, where the results could define their season.

Nevertheless, if the club continues to maintain consistency in their performances, it would become inevitable that the Spaniard win the award. But when that time does come, Arsenal will hope the curse has been broken, or more, let it be after 2025.