Bukayo Saka is a winner, a Premier League winner, and now a winner when England players engaged in wrestling this morning. “I won! I won the wrestling! Against all odds!” It is that resilient mentality that has underpinned Saka’s career.    That winning edge was confirmed by the title, and gives Arsenal’s England quartet - Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze - added impetus. “One of the biggest things that drives me is to win,” Saka adds. “I love doing that. For myself and the other boys from Arsenal, we have a confidence and a freedom that we can approach the World Cup that will definitely make us play better. It’s made me come into this tournament with even more hunger.”   “It was an amazing feeling winning the Premier League, and then it was important not to let that loss (to PS-G in the Champions League final) allow us to forget what we'd achieved as a club. Now I'm here with England, and all the focus is on trying to win the World Cup and get a second star for the country.”   It's a unique situation where some of the players vying for the same positions are good friends: Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers from their early Dudley days; John Stones and Marc Guehi know each other well from Manchester City; and Saka and Madueke from Arsenal. “Noni is like my brother, on and off the pitch, and we push each other, we speak every day. We have that mutual respect, and we want each other to do well.”   Speaking generally of the squad togetherness, Saka adds, “Being a good team-mate is important because if you're not playing, you need to be there for your brothers and encourage them. If you see something on the pitch they can do better, you can also say it to them. Taking that accountability and pushing each other is going to help us go over the line.    “Players on the bench will be needed. You saw that at Arsenal, we had a lot of players coming off the bench and winning games for us. You're not going to win a tournament with just 11 players. When I look around the team, I see the talent we have, the passion, the confidence. We have some real winners, some real leaders, and with belief, we can go the next step. Thomas Tuchel is a great manager. I believe he can help us deliver this World Cup. So I'm excited.”   He's managing an Achilles tendinitis problem. “As players, it’s the biggest gamble, especially if you're not feeling your sharpest. You have the choice where you don't play or you put yourself out there knowing that people are going to judge you the same. People don't really care how you're feeling. They expect you to deliver. They expect you to perform. I'm happy to take that gamble and it paid off. I'm going to continue doing that. I am feeling a lot better than I did in March and I'm ready to go.” #AFC #ENG #FIFAWorldCup

Saudi legit

“I don’t understand” a statement in Nigeria that means I clearly understand you but I want to confirm your audacity…

been watching low iq football all week. i miss buildup play like this, spain has saved me

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Tottenham have entered the race to sign Sandro Tonali! 💣🇮🇹 De Zerbi wants Tonali as new star for the midfield, ideal to step up #THFC level. Spurs ready to face Man City and Arsenal in the race for Tonali for new ambitious project to prove their intentions.

Cape Verde have had more possession than Arsenal did in the UCL final.

• Mikel Arteta is set to renew his contract with Arsenal and spearhead the title defence of The English Champions. The club approached our Basque native earlier this year, and it was agreed Mikel wanted to focus on delivering us major silverware & to earn his position within the home of the champions. Total accountability. My understanding is that Enrique Riquleme explored a secret plot to bring Arteta to Madrid if he had won his presidential election. Mikel is currently on 'holiday', yet actively involved in our transfer operations. While everyone at the club are behaving like it’s a done deal, the club hope to finalise the inner details of the most important contract at the club. Minimum 3 years - the wheels are firmly on. Viva La Mikel. • Andrea Berta's current contract runs until 2028. As I understand it, senior officials from Saudi explored a possibility of luring the Italian to the Middle East, while Bayern also covertly did the same thing. Andrea promised Mikel last summer he would deliver him a squad worthy of major silverware… mission completed, with the UCL now in their sights. Another thing I wanted to mention is Micheli Maurizio, the man responsible for scouting Hamšík, Kvaratskhelia, Kim Min-Jae and now Christos Tzolis. While Arsenal aim to add atleast 2 attackers, do not underestimate the authority and respect this man has within the club and wider football. Two weeks ago, I was speaking to the representatives of a player who told me Micheli was the one holding court without the presence of Berta. This duo act are conducting business seamlessly, as you can see with the revamp of the Arsenal youth set up, for which I am told the club have ring fenced a special transfer budget. • The contract of Declan Rice is also a major focus for Arsenal this summer, with initial talks starting early this year. As I understand it, Declan is very happy at Arsenal despite interest from the likes of Real Madrid and others. Talks are going smoothly and expect this to get done in due course. • Jurrien Timber's contract is very close to completion. Minor details remain. • David Raya has a 1 year optional extension on his current contract, which has 2 years left. All parties are very relaxed about his long term future, as a pay rise was agreed last summer. As for all the rumours circulating, as of today, Arsenal are yet to make direct contact with ANY club for a MIDFIELDER. I am happy to provide a 'state of play' post on the midfielder situation if that would be helpful? HandofArsenal roundtable.io/sports/soccer/…

Drink breaks are killing the momentum 💔