Arteta invites RAF pilots: how pilots will train Arsenal players.

Arteta's new strategy to improve communication within the club

According to The Sun: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants to enhance communication with his players, so he invited a team of RAF pilots to the club's training base.

Arsenal is led by Mikel Arteta, who has found a new technique to train his players. Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images Arteta plans to involve RAF pilots in training sessions. Joe Giddens/Pool via REUTERS

Arteta is looking for ways to improve communication in stressful situations. He noted:

“I can wake up one day and say, ‘My process during a match is inadequate’.

“British fighter pilots, for example. I will reach out to those guys to find out how they communicate, as it's a matter of life and death.

“I’m sure they aren’t using 20 phrases or 20 words when they can get by with one word. Don’t say, ‘No, the wind is going this way, now you have to turn left,’ because boom, and that's it. So, it’s going to be one word.

“What is that? How specific can we be? How clear can we be? And engage them to analyze our process, how we communicate, how we do it in training, and I want to improve that.

“And be vulnerable, you know, and accept criticism by saying, ‘You guys are terrible at this, you need to improve,’ and then ‘Okay, we need to improve at this’.

“Understand how these people think, how they work, how this relates to Formula One, how it relates to something else and try to enhance that.”

Arteta spoke at the Lead Better, Live Better 2025 summit in London earlier this month.

Previously, the Spanish manager invited professional pickpockets to teach his players to be alert during dinner. Additionally, he tried to demonstrate the importance of connection using a light bulb at a team meeting.

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During the All or Nothing: Arsenal series, Arteta drew a heart and a brain holding hands after three losses in the first five Premier League games. He also played the song ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ during training to prepare the team for the tense atmosphere at Liverpool's stadium.

Furthermore, Arteta urged players to squeeze lemons to emphasize the importance of effort toward achieving a common goal. He conducted an experiment with dominoes, where players built a structure together to teach them teamwork and attention to detail.

Arteta's new initiative reflects his commitment not only to improve his players' technical skills but also to create effective communication among them. By implementing such unconventional methods, the manager aims to prepare his players for the challenges they may face during matches as well as in life.