Managers roaming the Premier League beware, Mikel Arteta has receipts.
The Arsenal boss has developed a reputation for staying out of touch in recent years, but he insists he is far from the worst offender.
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After picking up his second yellow card of the season for a foul during the Gunners’ win over Everton on Saturday, Arteta revealed he has a dossier of evidence to prove other Premier League managers get off lightly.
“I have to be careful. They have to put sensors in there,” he said.
“There are managers in the league who have scored 36 times in 10 minutes [they] leave the touchline – no yellows.
“I’m cutting all that, so now I’ve got a big cache of pictures, so if somebody comes up to me, I can say, ‘I’m not on the record yet.’ Somebody else has a record, let’s see.”
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“Then there are 36 yellow cards for the managers in 10 minutes. I don’t know what we’re going to do – let’s see.”
What does Arteta plan to do with this treasure trove of touch pictures? Who is the mysterious manager who undoubtedly holds the unbroken record?
For now, we can only speculate, although a BBC Sport investigation in April 2025 revealed that current senior executives spend the most time away from Aston Villa’s Unai Emery’s coaching staff. Could he be guilty?
Until all is revealed, Premier League bosses need to watch their steps – Arteta is watching.