Over the course of the past 10 years, Arsenal have been forced to watch the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool dominate the Premier League from afar.
From the 2012/13 season, the Gunners have finished: 4th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 5th, 8th, 8th and 5th. Last season's failure to finish in the Champions League places continued their torrid run, but this campaign has lifted them back to the pinnacle of domestic football.
Mikel Arteta's men may fall short in the title race with Manchester City, but their second-placed finish has made an almighty difference to how world-class players view the club. The Gunners are expected to spend big in the summer - close to £200million - in a bid to make sure the work done this year doesn't go to waste, with some of Europe's best players linked.
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West Ham star Declan Rice is sporting director Edu Gaspar's priority transfer target, football.london understands. Moussa Diaby, Moises Caicedo and Joao Cancelo have all been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium. All star-studied names compared to some of the individuals previously tipped in years gone by.
"We have shown this season," Arteta said when asked if his side will be title challenges every season. "We’re still there, with two games to go we can still be champions against probably the best team in Premier League history.
"For 10 months we’re still there. There’s two games still to go and we’re not going to bottle that for sure. What happens next season will depend on what we do how, we evolve and how we start. That prediction is very difficult to do today.
"We have built that core and foundation. It’s a lot of quality, youth and enthusiasm surrounded by a lot of good people with the right experience and leadership around them.
"We have to continue to do that because the demands, expectations and challenges next season will be even higher. We cannot get confused of what we are today but have a lot of clarity of how we’re going to get what we want in the next seasons."
Arsenal’s successful season makes Gift Orban's recent comments so surprising. The Gent striker, who has netted 19 goals in 19 games this season, has attracted big-name interest recently, with Man United, Chelsea and Tottenham all scouting him.
The 20-year-old striker is poised for a move away from Belgium this summer and has recently discussed his future, where he has revealed he would turn down a move to Arsenal to join one of their league rivals.
"At a club where I feel comfortable and where I play," the Nigerian answered when asked about his dream to HLN Sport (Sport Witness). "The Premier League is my ultimate dream. Man United, Liverpool or Manchester City.
"I don't really like Arsenal that much - it's like they don't want to win titles. They play and sell players - that's it. I want to go somewhere where they win prizes. At Real Madrid they don't have time for tika-taka, there they just grab titles."
It's not often a player comes out and announces his displeasure towards a football club. Orban's comments will certainly frustrate Arsenal supporters, but following this season's performance, it's hard to agree with his reasoning.
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