Mikel Arteta hires pickpockets to teach Arsenal squad a lesson - Reports
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly hired professional pickpockets to teach his players a valuable lesson. As per The Athletic, the Gunners boss invited the pickpockets to a team dinner, who were told to go to work on the squad.
These sleight-of-hand artists went around the tables stealing valuables from the players who were completely unaware of Arteta's plans. After the team dinner, the Arsenal manager stood up and asked the players to empty their pockets which is when they realized that they were missing many items.
As per the report, Mikel Arteta deployed this exercise for his players to keep them alert and vigilant all the time. The Spanish manager has become famous for his unorthodox antics to motivate his players.
The Arsenal manager brought an olive tree into a team meeting in the past and was filmed using a light bulb in a team talk during the All or Nothing documentary. He even adopted a dog and named it 'Win', regularly bringing the animal to the club's training ground.
This will be Mikel Arteta's fifth season in charge of the Gunners and they will be eager to clinch the title this season. The north London giants finished runners-up behind Manchester City in the last two seasons by the narrowest of margins.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hails attacker following 4-1 friendly win against Bayer Leverkusen
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that he has been impressed with Gabriel Jesus during the side's pre-season preparations. The Gunners boss has insisted that the Brazil international has returned full of energy ahead of the season.
The Gunners demolished Xabi Alonso's Bundesliga-winning Bayer Leverkusen side 4-1 on Wednesday, August 7. Jesus found the back of the net in the 38th minute and Arteta was full of praise for the former Manchester City star. He said (via the Telegraph):
"The first feeling when I saw him [this summer]. It was something different. I could sense it. The energy was different. The way he looks is different. The way he moves is different … he looks good."
Gabriel Jesus saw himself get relegated to the bench last season, with Kai Havertz leading the line on most occasions. He made 36 appearances across competitions last season scoring just eight times.
Arsenal will kick off their Premier League season on Saturday, August 17, with a home fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers. They will take on Lyon in their final pre-season friendly on Sunday, August 11.