ENLGISH FA PREMIERSHIP: David Alexander finds Patrick Vieira, the new Arsenal skipper, rested after an unexpected summer break and intent on disproving the rumours that claim his loyalty to the club is somehow suspect.

Patrick Vieira wants to put an unexpectedly quiet summer behind him and help make Arsenal the dominant team in England. For the first summer in three years Vieira's future at the club has not been the subject of tabloid reports about a move to Real Madrid.

France's surprising exit in the group stages of the World Cup gave Vieira time to refresh himself and think about his duties as the newly-appointed Arsenal captain. But following Arsenal's Double last season he is confident the club will take over the mantle as the strongest team in England.

"Liverpool was the team of the 1980s and Manchester United in the 1990s was the best team in the country. That will change now," said Vieira. "Arsenal can be the team of the 2000s. Remember we lost the league by just one point in 1999, but I believe now we are stronger even than last year.

"There is so much confidence here and, if we want it, we can do it again. The ambition of the club is to keep going forward, as they've shown with the players they have bought and the new stadium. It's up to the players to make sure we keep improving."

As Arsenal prepare for tomorrow's Community Shield against Liverpool, he admits he could well stay at Arsenal for the remainder of his career. Unwilling to react to the words of Alex Ferguson, who said this week that Vieira wanted to join Manchester United last summer, he said: "I am disappointed that someone like him would talk like that. I have a fantastic relationship with the boss and the chairman here. They know I have a contract and the situation is perfectly clear.

"The only way I can prove to the fans how committed I am is by my performances on the field. I want to be a part of the history here."

He knows his responsibilities. "I'm really excited about being captain," said Vieira, who has replaced Tony Adams in the role. "It will not change the way I play on the pitch but I know I will have more responsibility," he said. "I will keep working on the disciplinary side of my game and I know I can improve it.

"Tony and I are completely different characters and my way to motivate the other players will be by how I perform on the pitch. But I learnt a lot from Tony and that will serve me well for the future."

The manager Arsene Wenger, who admits he took only one week off during the summer before starting his preparations for the new season, believes his squad are more focused than ever.

"This is the first summer when I have had no sleepless nights," said Wenger. "You would be surprised how strongly motivated the players are. They have had a very positive attitude and more than ever they have showed they are champions. I believe they will do it again.

"The team are hungry and want more. We have to keep the momentum going."

Wenger is unconcerned by the money spent by Manchester United, revealing that he does not intend to bring in any more players before the transfer window closes. "I believe they will spend more but that does not change our determination. I think they need to weaken a lot. Seriously I am not concerned about them."

Wenger underlined his belief that the Premiership is the most important trophy, although Arsenal remain unconvincing in the Champions League. "The way we approach the league is important," he added. "The Champions League remains a cup and you can go out on away goals, like we did against Valencia a couple of years ago. But if you are the strongest team, you win the championship."

Wenger will use tomorrow's match against Liverpool as a final warm-up and is keen to get his England contingent more match practice. He will be without the new arrivals Gilberto Silva and Fabian Carini whose registrations have not arrived but Pascal Cygan should figure.  - Guardian Service