According to Goal.com, the Premier League will ban players from using towels to dry the ball before throwing in during the 2026-2027 season, a decision that has displeased Arsenal manager Arteta.

Arteta publicly opposed this decision at the press conference before Arsenal's Community Shield match against Manchester City, calling the towel ban "significant and problematic." He also jokingly suggested that players might wear hats during matches to find a way to dry their hands and the ball.

Arteta's reaction is understandable. Arsenal relied heavily on throw-ins last season, often having players like Ben White, Declan Rice, and Riccardo Calafiori throw the ball into dangerous areas, then using teammates' aerial ability to create threats.

Arteta stated: "Not being able to use a towel is already a significant and problematic issue."

"Let's see how we will do, how we will adapt to these new rules. Maybe we will play with hats."

This measure means that the previous practice of requiring pre-match agreement between both teams to use towels will be completely abolished. The Premier League is now prepared to fully ban towel use to end controversies surrounding throw-ins.

The new rule also brings to mind an incident from last season's match between Arsenal and Newcastle United. Calafiori wanted to use a towel near the goal to dry the ball, but referee Jarred Gillett quickly approached and removed the towel because its use had not been agreed upon by both sides before the match. The towel controversy is not new in the Premier League. Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche had previously criticized the practice, arguing that it gave certain teams an unfair advantage during throw-ins.

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