I'm quite a fan of the gear Arsenal have on today. Looks comfortable.

Few thought that Mikel Merino would ever be leading the line for Arenal when he signed as fairly neutrally-minded midfielder in the summer of 2024.

But he stepped up when needed up front last campaign, notching nine goals, and was back in the limelight in midweek with two goals against Slavia Prague.

Here's a long read on how he has done it by our Arsenal reporter Isaan Khan.

Sunderland have made a fantastic start but they won't want to rest on their laurels.

They've made the best start of any newly promoted team since Phil Brown's Hull City in 2008-09, but they then went on to win just two of their next 28 games and finished 17th, a point above the drop zone.

Not to put a downer on things, but events over at local rivals Middlesbrough serves as a reminder to Sunderland fans that loyalty in football can be a fragile thing.

It looks as if Rob Edwards is going to walk out on Middlesbrough to join Wolves. You wonder how long it will be before somebody comes calling for...