At the conclusion of another Premier League season, Arsenal will be looking back ruefully once more and thinking what might have been.
Try as they might under Mikel Arteta, the Gunners just haven't been able to get over the line in their attempts at landing their first English top-flight title since the Invincibles season of 2003/04.
For a club of Arsenal's stature that is nowhere near good enough.
Arsenal's final position in the 2024/25 Premier LeagueFlashscore
Depending on whether you're a glass-half-full or half-empty supporter, there are both positive and negative spins that could be put on what's happened over the past few seasons under the Spaniard's tutelage.
Clearly, Arteta has weeded out the trouble makers in the dressing room, has a squad that are all pulling in the same direction and to watch Arsenal now is to often see football in its purest form.
Arsenal's board deserve credit for not bowing to fan power
Though they haven't been able to acquire any silverware of late, there has absolutely been an improvement in Arsenal's style of play even if it's becoming more and more evident that the evolution of the squad isn't enough to keep the Emirates Stadium faithful happy.
One can perhaps understand supporter ire when put in context with Arsene Wenger's final years at the club.
Supporters of Arsenal celebrate after their victory at the end of the UEFA Women's Champions League finalČTK / imago sportfotodienst / ©Manuel Blondeau/AOP.Press
Not bowing to fan power if things aren't going well does the Arsenal board great credit, however, they do have to bear in mind that Wenger was allowed to stay at the club a lot longer than he should have, which ultimately hurt the North Londoners and arguably set them back.
Now a line in the sand needs to be drawn. Win or bust. The club need to back their manager with enough funds in the kitty for Arteta to go out and buy the players he believes will finally bring home that long-awaited trophy - and if he doesn't, then that should be the time for change.
Gunners need to strengthen in multiple positions
A striker remains a priority because if Arsenal had had a 'proper' centre-forward in situ last season, there's every chance his goals would've made the title chase more of a two-horse race than a canter for Liverpool.
Another area where the club are believed to want to strengthen is out wide which is why Real Madrid's Rodrygo is still being linked with a move from the Spanish capital to the English one.
The Arsenal first-team during the 2024/25 Champions League semi-final first leg game against PSGMickael Chavet/ZUMA Press Wire/S / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
The 24-year-old saw his minutes dwindle during 2024/25 after Los Blancos landed Kylian Mbappe, however, Rodrygo's camp have been quiet regarding whether the Brazilian would rather earn his fortune elsewhere from 2025/26.
Even if discussions are at the earliest of stages, it seems fairly obvious that Rodrygo is a player that Arteta rates and would want to add to his young squad.
Rodrygo won't displace Saka
Unless Bukayo Saka gets injured, the England international remains a shoo-in on the right-hand side, so signing Rodrygo would seemingly put him in direct competition with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli on the left.
It's worth pointing out straight away that Rodrygo has only ever played off the left wing 78 times in his career, though he has managed 23 goals and 16 assists from that position.
Radar graphic comparison between Leandro Trossard and RodrygoOpta by Stats Perform
In total since joining the Spanish giants in 2019/20, he's racked up an impressive 66 goals and 46 assists in 264 games played.
Martinelli has 51 goals and 27 assists in 225 games across the same time frame, whilst Trossard, who didn't join the Gunners until the 2022/23 season, has accumulated 28 goals and 21 assists from 124 games with the club.
How do Martinelli and Trossard compare to Rodrygo?
Rodrygo's shooting accuracy in 24/25 has certainly improved too, and although his 78.6% in this regard may not sound like the best stat either, it compares very favourably to Martinelli's 62.5% and Trossard's 50%.
Of course, Arsenal ideally only want true ball players in their squad who can zip the ball around quickly and accurately, and there's certainly no issue with the Brazilian's passing, which has been well over 90% completion in the past two seasons.
Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard celebrate after scoring the first goal against LiverpoolPETER POWELL / AFP / AFP / Profimedia
Martinelli's 88% from 25 passes in the 24/25 season's FA Cup run is his best showing since all 18 passes made in the 2023/24 League Cup run found their target. In the Premier League, however, he's struggled to get much above the mid-70s range.
Trossard's recent 85% - again from the FA Cup - came from only eight total passes, so a more accurate reading would be his 80.5% in the Premier League.
Arteta and the board's true ambitions to the fore if Rodrygo doesn't sign
Clearly, both aren't a patch on their contemporary in this area and, what's more, when Rodrygo gains possession, there's that hint of anticipation that gets supporters up off their seats. There's an expectation something will happen, which isn't always the case if either Martinelli or Trossard have the ball.
If we look at defensive aspects to get a more rounded perspective, Rodrygo has won 102 of the 169 tackles he's attempted whilst also making 102 interceptions and winning possession back on 557 separate occasions.
Mikel Arteta, who is confident he has the unequivocal support of Arsenal fans despite the club coming up short in their bid to land a trophyAdam Davy / PA Images / Profimedia
Countryman Martinelli has an impressive 119 tackles won from 197 attempted, with 61 interceptions made and possession won 578 times. Belgian international Trossard has won 48 tackles from just 85 attempted, made only 32 interceptions and won possession 289 times.
Looking at the data, at this point in time, the only logical question Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal board should be asking themselves is why would they not sign Rodrygo?
A rumoured €80m transfer fee and annual salary of €8.4m means he won't come cheaply, but if the club were to baulk at the financial aspects of the deal, surely that says more about their true ambitions than anything else.
Jason PettigroveFlashscore