Arteta Reacts to Premier League Towel Ban Impacting Set-Pieces
Mikel Arteta has bristled at a new Premier League directive banning players from using towels to dry the ball before taking throw-ins, describing it as a major shift in how teams approach set-pieces in dangerous areas.
Arsenal leaned heavily on the long-throw ability of Ben White and Declan Rice last season, especially around the box. Now, that particular weapon has been blunted.
Arteta irked – but joking about solutions
“Not being able to use the towels is already a big one,” Arteta said in his latest press conference, clearly unimpressed by the change. Then he switched to humour.
“Let’s see what we do. Maybe we will play with hats on!”
The joke couldn’t quite hide the reality: for a side that drills every detail of restarts, this is not a minor tweak. It alters the choreography of set-piece routines in the final third, where a dry ball and a precise launch can turn a throw-in into a quasi-corner.
Last season, the towel issue sat in a murky grey area. Clubs had to agree pre-match if towels were to be used. That ambiguity exploded into view when Riccardo Calafiori tried to use a towel near the Newcastle United goal, only for referee Jarred Gillett to stride over and remove it because no such agreement was in place.
That kind of scene will disappear now. The law has been tightened. So has the clock.
Time-wasting crackdown reshapes the rhythm
The towel ban is just one strand of a sweeping campaign against time-wasting across English football, with the Premier League intent on squeezing more actual football into the 90 minutes.
Players will no longer be able to slowly, meticulously dry the ball before launching it into the box. Those long, choreographed pauses that frustrated opponents and fans alike are being stripped away.
To reinforce that, officials will use countdowns on goal-kicks and throw-ins, and substitution windows will be tightly policed. The aim is simple: fewer delays, more play.
Injury rules are being sharpened as well. Outfield players who receive treatment must now stay off the pitch for at least one minute. Crucially, if a goalkeeper needs medical attention, an outfield teammate will also have to leave the field for a minute. Tactical breathers disguised as injuries just became a lot more expensive.
Arsenal know exactly why that clause exists. They were accused of gamesmanship last season when Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler criticised David Raya for going down three times during a narrow 1-0 win for the Gunners, each stoppage disrupting Brighton’s rhythm and relieving pressure.
Those moments will now carry a clear cost.
Arsenal ready to adapt to new reality
Arteta, though frustrated by the towel ruling, insisted Arsenal have been thoroughly briefed and will adapt.
“We have had the Premier League and the referees there with us to explain and go through everything,” he said. “We will have to see when the season starts and how this unfolds and what is more doable and what is less doable and what we need to adapt.”
He knows the margins at the top are tiny. Every restart, every countdown, every enforced pause can tilt momentum.
“We know that everybody is paying so much to the details, all the restarts and the countdowns, that will bring something else, a different dynamic, different momentum. So I am very curious to see.”
Arteta still backs the broader direction of travel.
“They are really good rules because what we are doing is trying to promote more game time and the fluidity of the games which is better and hopefully that will work.”
The tactical race now begins. Who adjusts fastest to a Premier League where even a throw-in towel is off limits, and every second on the clock suddenly matters?
