It's hard to remember a time when Bukayo Saka wasn't Mikel Arteta's star man at Arsenal.
But back in 2019, the youngster was barely known by those outside of the Emirates; and there were even suggestions that Saka was on the brink of being shipped out on loan in an attempt to get first-team minutes.
At the time, Saka had yet to make his Premier League debut and the Gunners were intent on bolstering their ranks with big-money signings.
Among their targets was Crystal Palace superstar Wilfried Zaha, who had long been linked with a move to a Big Six club.
Have Your Say! Is Bukayo Saka one of the best youngsters in the Premier League? Tell us what you think here.
Zaha had made no secret of his desire to make a switch to the Gunners and even held talks with manager Unai Emery, who was in charge of the club at the time.
According to the Independent, Palace were holding out for a mammoth £80million fee; an asking price that Arsenal were reluctant to meet.
In an attempt to make the move happen, the Gunners were understood to have made a bid of around £55m with £10m dependent on clauses, while also proposing several out-of-favour players in the deal too.
Reiss Nelson, Carl Jenkinson and Saka were all understood to have been touted as potential makeweights in the deal - but Palace refused to budge on their demands.
In fact, Palace are believed to have rejected a loan move involving Saka as they felt it didn't offer value for money, given he was still in the junior ranks while Zaha was regarded as one of the best attackers in the top-flight.
Fast forward two-and-a-half years and the Gunners may well be thanking their lucky stars that Palace opted against pursuing a move.
Saka eventually forced his way into Emery's first-team during the 2019-20 season and made his top-flight debut in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa in September 2019, becoming the third youngster player to start for the club behind Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott.
Emery was sacked in December that year and replaced by Arteta, who put huge trust into Saka and decided to move him from defence and turn him into an attacker.
Saka, now 20, has established himself as one of English football's brightest prospects and already has 14 caps under his belt for Gareth Southgate's Three Lions.
Indeed, it is understood that Arteta's long-term plans at Arsenal very much centre around the youngster, with many believing that he can play an integral role in helping the club return to their heyday.
Zaha, meanwhile, is still plying his trade for Palace after missing out on big-money moves to Arsenal and Everton.
The 29-year-old scored his 50th Premier League goal for Palace earlier this season and remains a fans' favourite at Selhurst Park.
Despite his hero status though, Zaha made no secret of his disappointment at missing out on a move to Palace.
Zaha has previously admitted that he was desperate to join Arsenal in the summer of 2019 - and questioned why the Gunners opted for Nicolas Pepe instead of making the 'no brainer' decision to sign him.
"I had a conversation with the manager, actually," Zaha told Jamie Carragher on The Greatest Games podcast.
"He was just like, ‘we don’t need to go through much’. He’s seen me play, he knows I can change games at any time and stuff like that. It was like, ‘yeah, we’d love to have you’.
"And I was just like, ‘I’d love to come’. The conversation was rather straightforward because I’ve played against him when he’s managed Arsenal, he’s seen what I can do, he’s seen my work rate, what I can add to the team.
"Obviously, it was up to the club who they chose, and obviously they chose Pepe over me."
While Pepe's £72million move may not have exactly gone to play, Arsenal will be chuffed that Saka stayed put.
