LONDON — It was a tactical gambit only brought about by an injury in the warm-up. It was one that Mikel Arteta had had more than six years to play about with, something he had only done fleetingly. And it was the first look that he moved on from with a halftime substitution.

Basically, Bukayo Saka’s dalliance with central midfield in this 4-0 shellacking of Wigan Athletic is probably just going to be one of those curios that is left to gather dust in the vault. Mikel Arteta’s electric Nebraska, if you will. And maybe the boss has good reason not to indulge the wishes of his fanbase. Simplicity is so often the greatest conduit towards creativity. If your songs sound best with guitar and harmonica, play them that way. If you have one of the best right wingers on the planet, play him there.

Then again, maybe there’s something in this that merits a second hearing? After all, Arteta said as much after the game. 

“That’s something that’s a possibility, and I wanted to try it, and we might use it in the future. We still have so many games, competitions and different scenarios to play in this season, and that’s a possibility that we have,” Arteta said.

When Riccardo Calafiori limped out with injury, there could have been a like-for-like swap with Piero Hincapie. Myles Lewis-Skelly ultimately swapped out of his midfield berth for left back, but it could have been Martin Zubimendi or Declan Rice who brought experience to the engine room. Given that Martin Odegaard joined Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino on the sidelines, someone is going to have to step into midfield. Why not a player who seemed to offer his side some of what they have missing, albeit against very limited opposition?

Arsenal’s attack has occasionally drifted out of tune this season, very proficient individual players not always synchronizing as they might. Saka is not excluded from that assessment given he has seven goals and five assists in 33 games across all competitions, a tally he failed to add to on Sunday, even as he forced an own goal for the Gunners’ third. 

A fair chunk of that underperformance can be credited to Saka being behind his expected goals and assists, not a fact you would necessarily expect to be quite so true a few months from now. Then again Saka is not quite delivering the same xG and shot output he had at the peak of his threat two years ago. Anything that might get their best attacker into the most dangerous positions more frequently is surely worth an extended play.

Arsenal have tried this before, Saka getting a sniff at central midfield in the drudgery of lockdown ball, late in the 2019-20 season and early in the weeks that follow. He is a different player now, however, and Arsenal are a different team.

You could see Saka bringing back some of the qualities that this team has occasionally lacked in its worst attacking moments. His movement for the third immediately had one harking back to 2022-23 and Granit Xhaka: byline crasher. With the flying Noni Madueke drawing the attention of his defense, there was a seam for the central midfielder to attack. A first time cross before the ball went out of play should have been turned in by Gabriel Jesus, who instead miscued the ball into the path of the unfortunate Jack Hunt.first-time

That the cross came off his weaker foot speaks to the great quality he could deliver centrally, his two-footedness making him into even more of a double threat than he is off the right flank. With a bit more space to operate on the outside, Saka could blow by his opponents on the outside to get to a crossing spot or manufacture a shooting chance, too. As is apparent in the progressive flow graphic below, an awful lot of Arsenal’s forward momentum came in the inside right channel Saka occupied for the first 45 minutes, after which Viktor Gyokeres took his place.

“He’s more central, he’s closer to the goal,” said Arteta. “It’s a bit more difficult for the opponent to get his reference constantly. He can interchange position with the wide player as well, and he’s so good at picking those spaces, and when he’s there, he can really hurt you with the ball.”

On a broader level, Arsenal found themselves with a midfield that was just that bit more intent on stretching play beyond the opposition defense. One of the few critiques you could throw at the Zubimendi, Rice and Odegaard triumvirate is that all three are so adept with the ball at their feet that they tend to gravitate towards it. Saka was more intent on attacking space. With Gabriel Jesus dropping off as Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli drove on, there were options for the deep passers. The outstanding Eberechi Eze exploited those with aplomb.

“I was a bit surprised with the level of cohesion and connections very early in the match,” said a candid Arteta. “When you make that many changes, that can be a part of the game that can be lacking, but certainly it wasn’t, and we scored some very, very good goals.”

All of this comes with the most almighty of caveats. Sunday’s opposition were, ermmm, not very good. When Madueke cooly rolled in the opener, the travelling Wigan support serenaded their hosts with a chant of “How shit must you be, it’s only 1-0.” Three goals later they struck up a similar tune. When they’ve seen give up six to Peterborough United last week, there was little to really fear from the Emirates Stadium. Arteta could have played Saka at center back and given Tommy Setford his home debut at the tip of the attack. Arsenal were still going to win.

As such Saka’s shift infield might be a one and done, a short sharp burst rather than a change of direction. But when Arsenal find the rhythm that so impressed their manager from the off today, you do want to hear a little bit more.

It’s time for the PGA Tour to pick its Valentine at Pebble Beach.

There might not be a more fitting locale in all of golf for a Sunday of romance on the PGA Tour than Monterey Peninsula. The cliffs and ocean views at Pebble Beach are among the most beautiful in all of golf — and on Sunday, they’ll crown the latest champion at the event formerly known as the Crosby Clam Bake.

Collin Morikawa hopes he’s in the driver’s seat. After a Saturday 62, the two-time major champ vaulted into the final pairing in pursuit of just his second win since the 2021 season. His confidence is surging at just the right time, but he’ll need to outlast the likes of Akshay Bhatia — who clung to a six-shot lead at one point on Saturday and enters Sunday with a two-shot advantage.

The two golfers will also have to fend off a charging field of stars, including Scottie Scheffler and rising pro Jacob Bridgeman, and outlast expected wicked conditions on Sunday.

Whoever wins on Sunday will take home $3.6 million, while second place will take home $2.16 million. The total purse for the event is $20 million. You can check out the entire payout breakdown below, and you can watch the final round from 1-3. p.m. ET on Golf Channel and 2-7 p.m. ET on CBS.

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am money: Total purse, payout breakdown

1st: $3,600,000
2nd: $2,160,000
3rd: $1,360,000
4th: $960,000
5th: $795,000
6th: $715,000
7th: $665,000
8th: $615,000
9th: $575,000
10th: $535,000
11th: $495,000
12th: $455,000
13th: $415,000
14th: $375,000
15th: $352,000
16th: $332,000
17th: $312,000
18th: $292,000
19th: $272,000
20th: $252,000
21st: $232,000
22nd: $217,000
23rd: $202,000
24th: $187,000
25th: $172,000
26th: $158,000
27th: $150,000
28th: $143,000
29th: $137,000
30th: $131,000
31st: $125,000
32nd: $119,000
33rd: $114,000
34th: $109,000
35th: $104,000
36th: $99,000
37th: $94,000
38th: $89,000
39th: $84,000
40th: $80,000
41st: $76,000
42nd: $72,000
43rd: $68,000
44th: $64,000
45th: $60,000
46th: $57,000
47th: $54,000
48th: $52,000
49th: $50,000
50th: $48,000
51st: $47,000
52nd: $46,000
53rd: $45,000
54th: $44,000
55th: $43,000
56th: $42,000
57th: $41,000
58th: $40,000
59th: $39,500
60th: $39,000
61st: $38,500
62nd: $38,000
63rd: $37,500
64th: $37,000
65th: $36,500
66th: $36,000
67th: $35,500
68th: $35,000
69th: $34,750
70th: $34,500
71st: $34,250
72nd: $34,000
73rd: $33,750
74th: $33,500
75th: $33,250
76th: $33,000
77th: $32,750
78th: $32,500
79th: $32,250
80th: $32,000

Every offseason, the Minnesota Vikings extend at least one player’s contract earlier than expected. For example, Minnesota handed outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel an extra $23 million in 2025. That will happen again in 2026. The following is a list of candidates.

Vikings extension talks could heat up quickly, because a few core starters already sit at the intersection of timing and roster need.

Free agency will get underway in three weeks, so between now and the end of May, expect these four men to be in line for possible extensions.

Early Extension Candidates for the Vikings in 2026

Who’s due for more years and money a bit early? These are the candidates in alphabetical order.

1. Blake Cashman (LB)

If Cashman hadn’t missed four games due to injury in 2025, his 11.07 tackles per game pace would’ve translated to 188 in a full season, which would be the eighth-most in a season in NFL history. Somehow, Cashman’s 2025 campaign flew under the radar, even for the most ardent Vikings fans.

Now, he has one year left on his contract. The Eden Prairie just feels like a guy who will spend the rest of his career in Minnesota, and the fantastic production does little to refute that theory.

Cashman earns $7.5 million per season. Before too long, interim general manager Rob Brzezinski will probably extend his contract by two years and $20 million or so.

2. Jonathan Greenard (OLB)

The Vikings signed Greenard to a four-year contract during the 2024 offseason, which is wonderful — but his guaranteed money ran out last season. Seeking to restructure some players’ contracts to ease the salary cap pain, Minnesota will probably extend Greenard, pay him fair market value, and let him continue his run in Minnesota.

Some have floated Greenard in fancy trade theories to Cincinnati for Joe Burrow, but in reality, Burrow probably isn’t for sale, and the Vikings value Greenard. It’s not wise to get rid of EDGE rushers when a team is plotting a path back to the postseason.

Greenard was the butt of “almost sack” jokes in 2025 because so many of his pressures failed to bring down the quarterback; he’ll seek a bounce-back campaign in 2026, at least for the sack numbers. All the rest of the stats for Greenard were top-notch.

Look for Minnesota to add $23 million to $25 million to Greenard’s deal, likely spreading the money out over future years.

Star Tribune‘s Ben Goessling wrote about Greenard’s contract this week, “Greenard is coming off shoulder surgery, and given how important he’s been to the Vikings’ defense, it seems unlikely the team would release him when he’s still only 28.”

“They’d save $12.25 million if they released him before a $4 million base salary guarantee on March 13. Given the fact he’s got two void years on his deal, it’s possible the Vikings would convert part of his $18.39 million base salary into a signing bonus to lower his cap hit for 2026. Doing so would save them up to $12.96 million.”

3. Brian O’Neill (RT)

O’Neill will probably encounter a similar fate to Greenard.

Minnesota may restructure his contract and add $20 million per year in guaranteed money. Considering performance and durability, O’Neill is the Vikings’ single-most effective lineman and has arguably held that title for seven seasons.

He’s 31, so he’s not bursting with youth. But the league’s best offensive tackles can play well into their 30s, and fans should expect that for O’Neill.

Minnesota will almost assuredly re-do O’Neill’s deal; adding more money only seems fair, as O’Neill is tentatively slated to test free agency in 2027.

4. Jay Ward (S)

Ward balled out when afforded the opportunity last year. He was a rookie in 2023, meaning the upcoming season will be the final year of his deal. He’s done enough to merit a modest extension. He hits hard and represents youthful pop that Minnesota needs.

Our Kyle Joudry recently noted on Ward, “Lining up directly across from a shifty, explosive receiver isn’t for the faint of heart. Making a mistake is incredibly easy to see, even for an untrained eye. Ward’s capacity to get over the top of a receiver’s toes before then traveling with the receiver down the field is to be valued even if he’s not a shutdown option out there.”

“Consider, as well, being the deep safety. Being tall and having long arms helps — game of inches, right? — since there’s a greater chance of swatting deep passes away. Again, though, there’s the blatantly-obvious possibility of losing the rep. Any deep safety who gets beat deep is bound to get an earful from a coach (or two) alongside the scorn from onlookers.”

Too, down the stretch of 2025, defensive coordinator Brian Flores seemed to prefer Ward in the lineup over fellow safety Theo Jackson.

Joudry added, “Seeing Ward prove capable of doing both — being a corner and a safety — is encouraging, especially within a Brian Flores defense that’s predicated on disguise, chaos, and being unpredictable.”

Ward will turn 26 this summer. Now’s the time to explore his second contract. He won’t break the bank.