By now it is no secret that Stan Kroenke has become a more popular owner with Arsenal fans compared to nearly two years ago and the European Super League shambles. There is much more to this than just ending up committed to the English domestic game that has already been covered too.
From sticking by Mikel Arteta and being proven right to creating a modern recruitment approach, the U-turn from the club has been astonishing. Even for a man with an established sporting empire across Britain and USA, the revival of Kroenke in the eyes of Gunners supporters may have been one he never saw coming.
It is not a total turnaround, there are still those, understandably, that doubt the impact he has had and where the changes at the top of the club have come from. This is especially prominent after the directorial and structural changes in the heirarchy with Josh Kroenke now acting as co-chair.
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That is all going on off the pitch but it is the goals scored and the saves made, clean sheets kept and atmosphere raised that ultimately makes the biggest difference. In that area of the club there has been undoubted improvement. The league table, as they say, doesn't lie.
Arsenal have been comfortably the best and most consistent side this season but they've not doing it in a way comparable to that of their rivals. In April 2021, the month of the Super League and the lowest point of Kroenke's ownership, Arsenal's squad was valued at £478m, the sixth most in the league according to figures from Transfermarkt.
The current value of the squad, just shy of 24 months on, is a massive 62 per cent higher at £787m. Outside of promoted teams in that time and Newcastle - who's owners pumped in a massive amount since they took over last winter - Arsenal have had the second highest rise, behind only Brentford.
When it comes down to the numerical change though, Arsenal's increase was worth over £300m and Brentford's was less than £200m. What makes this increase even more remarkable is that since 2021 they have only spent just over £200m net for that massive rise.
Manchester United, for example, started out with a more valuable squad and have seen that only decline to below Arsenal's despite their outlay on players such as Jadon Sancho, Antony and Lisandro Martinez. It is credit to Kroenke and the system he put in place, including influential director Edu Gaspar, who has been a key cog in the whole thing.
Although the spending has been there from Arsenal, who have been criticised for not putting their hands deep enough into the pockets of cash rich-Kroenke, they have recouped that and offloaded overpaid and underperforming stars as well as finding good value for money.
The test of time and patience has also been rewarded. Ben White is now one of the best full-backs in the league and would be worth over the £50m paid for him, captain Martin Odegaard the same. He looks a bargain and this is without including Aaron Ramsdale either.
It would have been easy to spend such vast amounts on higher profile stars - like Chelsea have done in recent years with players such as Timo Werner, signed for £47m and sold for £25m two years later - but Kroenke's newlook network has proved good. Perhaps this is also a surprise given the resources Arteta was using at Manchester City as assistant manager.
Although the transfers aren't his decision and player development as a coach is the most important thing, as has proven at Arsenal, it would have been easy for the Spaniard to demand players of a different calibre at the Emirates Stadium. Once more, where rivals have been wasteful Arsenal have not.
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