Again, Arsenal fans have been left behind what could have been this season and dreamed of what is possible next season.
A second preminthe operation placed. Another painful European exit.
Baas Mikel Arteta has to pick up the pieces of another almost campaign, rugs expensive injuries, failed transfer pendants and controversial red cards.
The work is already underway in North London to ensure that the next term is the one who ends their 21-year-old Prem-Title Drought.
Will it finally be their time? Painful lessons must be learned.
In October Bukayo Saka reportedly told friends at his birthday party in Mayfair: “I really believe we will win the competition.”
But the reality was that the Gunners were constantly on the back, and it started in the summer with a failed attempt to sign an Elite No9.
Despite the fact that Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were as central attacking options, there had been progressive conversations with RB Leipzig about Benjamin Sesko-a striker who is going on for 12 months, there is now only a backup option to Target Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon.
Arsenal was convinced that they had laid the foundation to get Sesko over the line, only for the player to sign a new contract on June 12. Sunsport understands that this has shaken the club somewhat.
That is why it was logical to prioritize other areas towards the end of the window, making midfielder Mikel Merino, defender Riccardo Calafiori and keeper David Raya.
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Others had their doubts, but Sunsport understands that the urge to Merino was led by Arteta, and his instinct was well proven, seven goals scored in 18 games as a heroic improvised striker in the new year.
Arsenal was determined not to panic in order to solve their problems that had been done with little success in the club in the past.
There was also a growing confidence that Jesus had shaken his fitness issues, with Arteta claiming that the Brazilian looked like a “other person” in the preseason.
Yet that faith turned out to be precious. By August 20, Jesus was excluded with a groin injury, unable to start successive games until mid -December.
In mid-January he was out until the end of 2025 with an ACL fracture, in which Arteta attracted an unsaleable, unusable, expensive duration.
Arteta then hurried England Declan Rice and Saka from the euros, despite just 24 days of rest.
In retrospect, this was a mistake, and perhaps a factor in the absence of three months in December from Saka with a torn hamstring.
On August 24, after the 2-0 victory of Arsenal in Aston Villa, Arteta admitted that they were “short” at the top.
It was on this point that Arsenal began to climb, some of them in the club accepted that there would be no deadline day wonder.
On August 29, sports director Edu would be in Monaco for the Champions League trekking, but made a late U-turn to stay in North London.
The next day there were murmur and Sunsport understands that hardly anyone knew that Raheem Sterling was close to hours before the deadline on loan from Chelsea.
At this stage, with regard to the Arsenal Board, Edu continued to commit itself, despite whispers in Brazil in the summer of interested lovers.
But after his resignation on November 4, Arsenal was forced to lose an integral part of their successful machine.
Sunsport understands that senior figures were really shocked by the news, with some even emotional, which have become incredibly close in recent years.
There would never be an hurry to hire a replacement, as was confidence in Edu's assistant Jason Ayto, and Sunsport understands that seven candidates were considered before he finally appointed Andrea Berta on March 30.
In his first few days Berta early for patience, but behind the scenes was impatient to get started and hopes to have signed two or three important signing sessions and delivered early in this window, including Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad [£51m] and Gyokees [£60m].
Although they pick their lines in January without a permanent sports director, Arsenal is indignant that it was the right decision to be patient in finding the successor to Edu, even if it meant that it would miss income in the middle season, and that in the short term pain of admitting the title to Liverpool is currently worth it.
Arteta insisted that the EDU exit would not derail their plans on and outside the field, but in truth it was again a setback in an already demoralizing and frustrating season.
Less than 24 hours after signing, Sterling was at the Emirates to view Arsenal's 2-2 in Brighton and went to the dressing room to meet his new teammates for the first time.
But Sunsport understands that the mood was rather despondent after Rice's controversial red card, and a real feeling that those cases prove to be crucial.
Arteta cut a hugely frustrated figure behind the scenes as the results continued to tumble and described to deal with injuries to Martin Odegaard as a “nightmare” – an appropriate description of the January window.
Until January 12, before Jesus' ACL-fracture-Was Arteta not actively on the market, especially thanks to the surprise form of Academy Grads Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-SKILY.
But when that changed, the implementation was missing. Too much time was spent trying to convince Sesko to reconsider, and when that failed, a bid of £ 40 million Ollie Watkins was made without anticipating Jhan Duran from Aston Villa to Saudi days later.
It turned into a real mess, and then an embarrassing catastrophe when Arsenal was left without a recognized striker at Havertz for months after a hamstring operation.
Sunsport understands that Berta gave the Arsenal board special red tires to wear for the quarterfinals against Real Madrid, and they were then worn again for the semi-final against PSG, only for the happiness to be worn out by that time.
Arsenal cannot trust Lucky Charms next season. As Arteta told the owners on the last day: “They know what to do.”
For once they have to start on the front foot on the field and in the boardroom and keep it that way. Only then will trophies follow.