Arsenal's turnaround under Mikel Arteta has been sensational, but it was not a process that happened overnight.
Trusted to oversee a long-term project following the failures of Unai Emery's reign, the 41-year-old was plucked from Pep Guardiola's side and thrown straight in as a head coach with one goal in mind: returning the Gunners to the apex of English football.
Once a footballing powerhouse, the north London outfit had wilted during the final years of Arsene Wenger's reign, with their occasional FA Cup victory papering over the cracks of a side seemingly incapable of competing for elite honours.
That was something which the former Manchester City assistant manager sought to change, achieving that goal last term as he led his side into a title race in which they would fail painfully short late on.
Such frustration is only set to stoke the fire that is building at the Emirates Stadium, set to light up the Premier League once again as they currently remain one of two sides still unbeaten.
What makes such a feat even more impressive is the mini-revolution overseen over the summer, with the likes of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, David Raya and Kai Havertz all brought in to take them to the next level.
However, those acquisitions were not to be without some casualties, and the exit of Granit Xhaka stung far more than many would have predicted it might have three years ago.
How good was Granit Xhaka?
Having maintained a redemption arc of his own, evolving from a reckless midfielder at odds with his own fanbase, last campaign marked a true standout for the Swiss international and a perfect way to bid farewell following a fine if somewhat tumultuous career in north London.
The 31-year-old would score seven and assist a further seven, as the firepower he surprisingly injected from the engine room proved pivotal in spearheading their push for silverware. As such, he would boast a 7.05 average rating, making him the eighth-highest-rated player within Arteta's squad, via Sofascore.
Then, as if his tenure could get no better, Xhaka would recoup an impressive £21.4m fee upon leaving for Bayer Leverkusen, having made 297 appearances for the Gunners, earning praise from his former boss: "For me (he's been) crucial – really, really important at every level, and I think for the team and the club as well.
"In the great moments like this season he has had, and in the difficult ones, because I think we have become a better club and better people and we have understood certain situations much better than just judging them.
"When you look how he behaved. We have some others who are absolutely a joy for those boys, the way they treat them. And he has an honest and unique willingness to help them. It's not an act, it's genuine."
However, as mentioned above his time in England was not a completely seamless period, and such goalscoring consistency was far from the norm. In fact, in the six seasons beforehand, he had only surpassed two league goals on one occasion.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Yaya Toure would be widely regarded as a far better footballer, and coincidentally a star that Wenger could have signed once upon a time.
Did Arsenal nearly sign Yaya Toure?
"Completely average," was how the legendary French manager would describe the display of the now Legendary midfielder back in 2003, as he trialled to cement his spot in Arsenal's first-team.
Brother of Kolo Toure, expectations were high for the tall, technically proficient maestro who earned praise from the club's reporter Richard Clarke in the run-up to that pre-season clash with Barnet: "Yaya has the build and languid touch of Patrick Vieira," he said. "The similarity was sealed by the fact that he started the afternoon in central midfield and was wearing Arsenal’s No 4 shirt."
However, what followed was a display that did little to endear him to the hierarchy, reportedly missing a sitter from close range as he nodded wide. " It seemed a simple job to nod the ball home, but Yaya sent his header wide," noted Clarke, whose damning assessment was clearly mirrored by Wenger, who opted against signing him.
He would instead move to Ukraine, before building a now iconic career that arguably reached its peak with Man City.
How good was Yaya Toure?
Eventually moving on to Olympiacos and AS Monaco, when Barcelona came calling in 2007, it was a prospect too good to turn down. Already he had proven the 73-year-old former Gunners boss wrong, but this would only mark the start of his success.
Securing untold silverware in Spain, winning two La Liga titles as well as the Champions League among other honours, a fractured relationship with Guardiola forced him into the arms of the Cityzens, who would gladly acquire his services for a modest £28m sum.
2014/15
29
10
1
2013/14
35
20
9
2012/13
32
6
6
2011/12
32
6
7
2010/11
35
6
5
All stats via Transfermarkt
There, he truly began to shine, slowly emerging into one of the Premier League's greatest-ever midfielders, with power and poise in equal measure that devastated opposition defences.
The four-time African Footballer of the Year would go on to feature 316 times at the Etihad, ushering in an era of unprecedented success consisting of three league titles, one FA Cup and three EFL Cups too.
It is widely debated when the peak of his powers emerged, but few can deny how truly outstanding his 2013/14 term was.
Featuring 35 times, he would score 20 and assist a further nine, earning huge praise from his manager Manuel Pellegrini a year later: "Yaya is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League without any doubt. Maybe like any player he can have good games or not so good games but I never have any doubts."
Comparing this with Xhaka's finest year, and Toure actually scored more than the former FC Basel star's goals and assists put together. The two are incomparable, with their respective trophy cabinets further emphasising the gulf in quality.
Although the current Bayer Leverkusen man will likely retain a cult-hero status in north London, the retired 40-year-old is instead in a bracket of his own, rightly lauded as a "legend" by journalist Juliet Bawuah.
Whilst Wenger attests that he could have signed Toure, he did admit that the failed pursuit was one of his biggest failures: "It would be up at the top (of my list of regrets)."
Having witnessed the flourishing career the Ivory Coast superstar enjoyed, it is fair to say that his was a huge blunder from Arsenal, and one not rectified merely by the presence of Xhaka.
