Mikel Arteta hasn't been afraid of making big calls during his time at Arsenal, and the manager has often been rewarded for making decisions others wouldn't have been prepared to make.
It was Arteta who allowed Mesut Ozil to leave the club, and it was also the Spaniard who was prepared to spend big on Aaron Ramsdale, who has exceeded many people's expectations since joining from Sheffield United. However, the biggest recent call concerned Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
When Aubameyang began the season as Arsenal captain, few would have expected him to finish the campaign elsewhere, and no one would have expected him to move on for nothing. With the Gunners preparing to take on Southampton in the league on Sunday, it will be hard not to think back to the moment the Gabon striker's long goodbye began.
Though we didn't know it at the time, Aubameyang's late miss in Arsenal's defeat to Everton would be his last contribution for the Gunners. Five days later, as Arteta's team prepared to host Southampton at the Emirates Stadium, we got the news that the captain wouldn't be involved.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker had been dropped to the bench at Goodison Park at the start of the week, making a late and ultimately fruitless cameo. However, by the weekend he was out of the picture altogether.
"Unfortunately due to a disciplinary breach," Arteta said when asked about Aubameyang's absence. "I think we have been very consistent that we have certain non-negotiables in the team that we have set ourselves as a club, and he's not involved today."
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The Aubameyang omission could so easily have caused a distraction, but if anything it invigorated Arsenal. The win over Southampton was one of the more comfortable of the season, and the first of four on the spin at the end of 2021.
It was that run of victories which saw Arteta's side climb into the top four for the first time, and the manager will hope he can call upon the spirit of the first Southampton game to take the Gunners back to winning ways. That result, too, came after successive defeats and three losses in four outings, after all.
The key wasn't just the result against Ralph Hasenhuttl's side, though that was of course important. More significant was the way the manager made a huge call - both immediately and in the longer term - and saw the benefit.
It was only after Aubameyang's February move to Barcelona that we began to see the real scale of things. Sure, he's started quickly at Camp Nou - with Piers Morgan reminding Arteta of the fact whenever he can - but there's little to suggest he would have done the same without a fresh start away from north London.
"Sometimes everyone benefits from a separation most important is that everyone is happy now," Aubameyang tweeted in March. "And we had good times that I will don't forget.”
Defender Gabriel was among the scorers in the home win over Southampton, but even he made clear the lay of the land concerning the fallout with the former captain. "It's something that happened between him and the coaching staff, the other players weren't in it," he said. "I said goodbye to him before he left, I hope he enjoys Barcelona, he is a very nice person with a big heart and I love him very much."
Arsenal still have other obstacles when it comes to their top-four pursuit. Injuries to Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney have hurt them badly, while the absence of Takehiro Tomiyasu has also been felt in recent weeks.
The situation has brought scrutiny of a number of Arteta's decisions, most notably the manager's willingness to let a number of fringe players move on in January. However, given his track record with some bigger names, many would still consider it reasonable to give him the benefit of the doubt.
There are few bigger decisions a manager can make than exiling the captain and top earner, and others might well have been less forthright when push came to shove in December. Arsenal came out strong against Southampton when the falling-out began, and now they'll need to show more of the same energy as they chase a win against the same opponents which would ensure the Champions League dream remains alive.
