Inside Mikel Arteta’s bizarre Arsenal team-bonding after hiring undercover waiter to ‘destroy’ one of his players

OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO has lifted the lid connected Mikel Arteta's latest bizarre team-bonding exercise.

The Arsenal boss, 42, has shown down the years that helium is ne'er acrophobic to deliberation extracurricular the box.

In 2022, fans were near baffled arsenic it emerged Arteta had boomed "You'll Never Walk Alone" retired of speakers portion players trained up of a crippled against Liverpool astatine Anfield.

More recently, the Spaniard hired a squad of pickpockets to swipe his stars' belongings during a meal - successful a bid to thatch his players the value of staying alert astatine each times.

He was besides dubbed the "David Brent of the Premier League" aft coming up with a caller motivational connection - "collaboretition" - a operation of collaboration and competition.

In his latest wacky exercise, Arteta hired a nonrecreational shot freestyler to amusement up 1 of his players.

Speaking to The Guardian, Zinchenko revealed: "We stayed astatine the aforesaid edifice earlier a match, and we knew each the waiters.

"But determination was a caller feline that day. So earlier we spell to the stadium [Arteta] said: ‘OK guys, fto maine aftermath you up, due to the fact that we request energy.

"Last time, Alex, we played unit against players and you bushed [the set-piece coach] Nicolas [Jover]. Let’s bash it the same, but freestyling.

"Everyone was like: ‘What? For sure, Alex volition bushed him, blah blah blah’. Nico started to bash thing with the shot and past abruptly it looks similar helium got an injury. It was truthful evident but weird.

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS

"Then they called the caller waiter. We didn’t cognize helium was a nonrecreational freestyler.

"He destroyed maine with his tricks and each of america were successful heavy shock. But past we were each laughing and we went to the crippled with bully energy."

Zinchenko, 27, has scarcely played this play owed to a calf injury.

He has made conscionable 2 appearances for the Gunners, and nary since the 1-1 gully with Brighton connected August 31.

The Ukrainian was backmost connected the seat for the 2-0 decision astatine Bournemouth past weekend, however, and could beryllium successful contention to diagnostic against erstwhile broadside Shakhtar Donetsk this evening.

Zinchenko was connected Shakhtar's books arsenic a teenager, earlier leaving to articulation Russian broadside FC Ufa successful a bid to unafraid archetypal squad football.