Revealed: Mikel Arteta's new team bonding scheme that is hitting Arsenal squad's pockets in bid to finally end trophy drought

According to The Sun, gone are the days of simply driving straight to the Emirates or hopping on a team coach from the ground. Under Arteta’s system, every player must report first to Colney, Arsenal’s Hertfordshire HQ, before being bussed together to their destination.

The new setup has forced stars into booking private drivers for entire days. Many players now shell out between £700 and £1,000 to ensure they have a car on call to ferry them and their families to and fro, and even wait around until the final whistle. Drivers drop players at Colney, return to pick up their families, then hang around near the stadium until it’s time to head back out to Hertfordshire. Only then can they drop the stars home. It’s a costly merry-go-round that’s quickly adding up across the season.

While the players might be groaning about the expense, north London’s private hire drivers are rubbing their hands together. One cabbie told The Sun: "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."

Arteta’s logic is clear: team spirit equals trophies. He believes that if his men eat, travel, and prepare together, they’ll develop the mental edge required to dethrone Liverpool and finally lift the Premier League title for the first time since 2004. Insiders claim the Spaniard monitors everything from players’ body language to the strength of their off-field friendships, convinced that total cohesion will translate to silverware.

Arsenal’s start to the season has been solid. Nine points from their opening four matches keeps them within striking distance of the leaders, though their 1-0 defeat at Anfield to Liverpool served as a painful reminder of how tough the title race will be. This Sunday, Arteta’s men face the ultimate test when they take on Manchester City at the Emirates. Another booming payday awaits the North London cabbies!