GUNN SHOW How Arsenal are tapping into stars’ Wags as secret weapon to fire Arteta’s men to Premier League glory

AS the saying goes, "behind every every great man there's a great woman".

Posted Sunday, May 05, 2024 by Thesun.co.uk

That rule of thumb appears to apply completely to Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.

Arsenal are tapping into a secret weapon to help fire them to the Premier League title

Sophie Weber, left, Tomali Benson, middle, Milly White, right, Helen Spilling, top left and Laura Trossard Hilven, top right, have been helping Arsenal charge to the title

The group have become a strong social group away from the pitch

But unlike some WAG drama Arsenal stars partners have been a force for good

After years of obscurity where the club struggled to compete for the title, Arteta and Gunners sporting director Edu have cultivated a positive culture within the club.

Players on the pitch appear to be enjoying their football, having built a strong rapport with each other.

And it seems this relationship has extended to significant others of a number of Gunners stars.

Following their 5-0 thumping of Chelsea last week, a viral video of Martin Odegaard's partner, Helene Spilling, dancing to Shakira's "Waka, Waka" - adopted as Kai Havertz's chant - typified this shift in culture.

Wag drama away from the pitch has been known to cause it's fair share of problems for footballers in the past.

However, Arsenal have turned this proverbial chink in the armour into an extra boost as they hunt for a first Premier League title in 20 years.

A core group of Arsenal players including Odegaard, Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Ben White have blossomed on the pitch while their partners have become a core group off it.

Helene, Sophie Weber, Tomali Benson, Laura Trossard Hilven and Milly White are often seen socialising together away from football.

They are often seen together on matchdays, including the second leg against Bayern Munich, and four of the women stayed together to see Arsenal thrash Sheffield United 6-0 in March.

This bond is said to have been strengthened by the club's trip to Dubai during the winter break.

Arteta saw an opportunity to improve the players and invited players partners onto the trip, with the club putting on bonding sessions to help the group become closer.

The decision was greeted by scepticism, but the gamble has more than paid off, with Arsenal winning 10 out of 11 league games following the break.

The support network around the club's players deserves huge credit pushing the club onwards and upwards according to Arteta and are "really helpful" in allowing players to settle.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Arteta said: "That's great to see obviously because it's needed.

"We have a lot of foreign players that obviously they have their families, wives, girlfriends around and they need support.

"They need to build those friendships and those close circles around them.

Sophie Weber is a social media personality

Benson and Saka have largely kept their relationship under wraps