Arsenal squad left in 'deep shock' by undercover waiter who 'destroyed' Oleksandr Zinchenko in bizarre stunt set up by Mikel Arteta

Gunners boss Arteta has become famed for the unconventional methods that he adopts in a bid to sharpen the focus of his players and get them performing at the peak of their powers. His decision to blast out ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at training ahead of a trip to Liverpool was caught on camera by Amazon Prime for their ‘All or Nothing’ documentary series.

It has since been revealed that Arteta once brought a group of professional pickpockets into the Arsenal camp and encouraged them to swipe valuables from oblivious Premier League stars. A collection of watches and wallets were returned to the shocked victims.

Zinchenko has now told The Guardian of how he was set up by Arteta during a pre-match meal, with his club colleagues left stunned. The Ukraine international has said: “We stayed at the same hotel before a match and we knew all the waiters. But there was a new guy that day. So before we go to the stadium [Arteta] said: ‘OK guys, let me wake you up, because we need energy. Last time, Alex, we played staff against players and you beat [the set-piece coach] Nicolas [Jover]. Let’s do it the same, but freestyling. Everyone was like: ‘What? For sure, Alex will beat him, blah blah blah’.

“Nico started to do something with the ball and then suddenly it looks like he got an injury. It was so obvious but weird. Then they called the new waiter. We didn’t know he was a professional freestyler. He destroyed me with his tricks and all of us were in deep shock. But then we were all laughing and we went to the game with good energy.”

While Arteta’s methods may not be plucked from a standard coaching manual, they are clearly working as Arsenal have become regular challengers for the Premier League title. They are back in that hunt this season, but will be looking for a positive response to a disappointing setback at Bournemouth when they return to Champions League action against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.