Arsenal have become an efficient force in the transfer market. They have become a team full of well-resourced players, recruited by influential director Edu and used to near perfection by Mikel Arteta at matches.
It is a farcry from the model that had been used which attracted criticism from fans and pundits alike. Players such as Lucas Perez, Shkodran Mustafi or Nicolas Pepe that never truly got going at the Emirates. Now the squad is piled high with ambitious, young and talented players ready to impact the team straightaway.
Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale were added in 2021 with some scepticism but the plan has paid off. Even in January they refused to overpay for the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk or Moises Caicedo in the face of competition from elsewhere.
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Those deals and choices haven't come back to haunt the Gunners. In fact it's the opposite that is true so far. Instead of pursuing the in-demand Caicedo too far they picked up Jorginho for eight times less and added experience to their outfit. Leandro Trossard continued where had left off for Brighton too.
The Belgian is the less attractive prospect when compared with the excitement that surrounded Mudryk but his ability to come straight into the team and produce immediately has paid dividends already this term. As for the midfield, although Jorginho was brought in on a short-term deal it doesn't stop the Gunners from pushing for other options this summer.
Jude Bellingham is set to be one of the big stories of the window and has had a fresh $161m (£130m) price tag put on him according to the Athletic. With Arsenal in the position to offer Champions League football, one of the most highly-rated young coaches in the world and league competition in England it is a clear selling point for the 19-year-old.
He has been looked at by Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester City but could be priced out of a move after a massive hike in his valuation. It was only earlier this season that reports suggested he could be available for around $100m (£80m). One World Cup later and there has been a $60m change.
For a club that has moved away from big money signings or the purchasing of individual stars and Galacticos, this may well rule Arsenal out. This is especially relevant when considering Declan Rice's price is set to plummet this summer. Bellingham's international teammate is out of contract in just over 12 months time and is expected to leave West Ham at the end of the campaign.
Arsenal's interest in him comes at a time in-which they have perhaps never been more attractive as a prospect. Although Rice has previously been valued at over £150m by David Moyes that number will be much lower with one-year on his deal. Although the 23-year-old also impressed in Qatar with Bellingham his price isn't set to be inflated.
Whereas the teenager shone as one of the standout players, Rice's position and playstyle produces less fireworks and his club's uncertain future - with the very real possibility of being relegated - mean that teams looking to purchase Rice could be hitting the jackpot with a transfer here.
Caicedo came out of the World Cup after starring for Ecuador and was given a major £80m price tag by Brighton, Trossard and Belgium were underperformers and the winger was signed for £28m, an amount that already looks on the cheap side. Finding these players and not being drawn into the World Cup effect is proof of the new Arsenal model and how it's already helped and could yet be even more beneficial in the future.
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