Arteta’s tough law forces Arsenal stars to shell out thousands on taxis

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, has implemented an uncompromising policy aimed at uniting his squad in pursuit of the club’s first league title since their famous Invincible season. His approach, however, is resulting in substantial costs for the players and unexpected gains for North London taxi drivers.

Under Arteta’s rule, Arsenal players are required to meet at the London Colney training ground before every match, regardless of whether it is home or away. The team then travels together by bus to the Emirates Stadium or to away fixtures, a move designed to promote camaraderie and ensure that every player is mentally and physically synchronized ahead of critical games.

Unlike rival London teams such as Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham, whose players can drive directly to the stadium several hours before kickoff, Arsenal’s squad must adhere to this collective routine. Arteta’s attention to detail extends to monitoring body language and the relationships between players before matches, believing this unity is key to their success in the Premier League.

This strict pre-match routine has led most Arsenal players to arrange full-day bookings with local taxi drivers. The drivers drop off the players at the training ground, then double back to collect their families and return later to bring the players home after the final whistle. For away fixtures, the policy is even firmer: no player is allowed to be collected by family members or partners post-match. Instead, everyone returns to London Colney, from where they are then driven home.

Cab drivers have found themselves benefiting significantly from this arrangement. According to one driver, the daily rate for such bookings ranges from £700 to £1,000, a sum that covers more than half of a typical cabbie’s weekly target. One driver shared with SunSport, “I mean for us it leaves us looking forward to every game and hope we get the call because that is essentially more than half what we have to get for the week and it’s quite relaxing. Also who doesn’t want to be involved in football these days even if you’re driving them around.”

The cumulative expense for players is considerable. With each home game costing around £1,000 in taxi fees, an Arsenal player could spend upwards of £20,000 over the course of a season simply on transportation related to this rule.

Arteta has experimented with relaxing such protocols in the past. Notably, former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arrived late for a North London derby when restrictions were loosened. That incident has since reinforced Arteta’s resolve to maintain strict adherence to his policies, ensuring the entire squad arrives together and on time.

The club has confirmed that players do indeed arrive at the Emirates as a group, a practice that distinguishes Arsenal from many of their Premier League rivals. SunSport also reports that Manchester United’s embattled manager Ruben Amorim has introduced a similar rule at Old Trafford, hoping that his high-profile squad will benefit from increased time together before and after matches.