On 8 January 2017, Artell was appointed as Crewe Alexandra's first team manager, replacing Steve Davis. One of his first moves was to appoint another ex-Crewe player and former Bala teammate Kenny Lunt as assistant manager. With his side facing the possibility of relegation out of EFL League Two after a 4–0 defeat at Hartlepool United on 28 February, Artell warned his players that "relegation means oblivion... they'll end up in the Conference North on £200 a week with a job as a milkman." He managed to get the reaction he was looking for as Crewe won four of their next five games in March to move towards mid-table safety, a team performance that helped earn Artell a nomination for EFL League Two Manager of the Month. The "Railwaymen" ended the 2016–17 campaign in 17th-place, and Artell released six players in the summer. He warned the remaining out-of-contract players to sign their new contracts quickly before he withdrew their offers, but said "we all had a say. It's not a dictatorship. I'm not Idi Amin or Pol Pot... it's evolution, not revolution, but we won't be happy with 17th in the table again next season".