Arsenal have a very clear idea of their summer transfer targets but things could have been very different for Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta.
The current priority is to sign a striker with RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres as the two main options. There are positives and negatives to both but one good thing about a deal for Gyokeres has since disappeared.
Through a gentleman's agreement, he looked set to be available for £60million (€70m) but the Portuguese champions are now said to be demanding £67.4million (€80m).
Sesko, who is five years younger and has played in a better league, is expected to cost a similar amount which leaves Arsenal with a big decision to make. Elsewhere, a wide forward is being targeted with Nico Williams, Rodrygo and Rafael Leao as just a few concrete options.
The hope is that two from those five names will join in addition to Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi signing from Chelsea and Real Sociedad, respectively. Neither switch has been announced just yet but it is expected that both will be part of Arteta's squad for the 2025/26 season.
Signing a defender is also an aim with Ajax's Jorrel Hato and Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace as two targets but completing a deal for either appears complex. Dean Huijsen was top of their wish list and if Madrid had not entered the race for his signature, it could have been very different.
An Athletic report, that came to light after Madrid had agreed a deal with Bournemouth, stated that Arsenal had actually presented a strong financial offer to the teenager with assurances over game time also provided.
Had that been accepted early into the summer window, it could have been a very different few months with £50million immediately committed to a centre-back signing.
The wait for a natural striker signing could have gone on with Arsenal instead looking to repeat a Declan Rice trick and sign the best players from established Premier League clubs. Ebere Eze can certainly be considered as one of those with his goal helping Crystal Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Links to Arsenal have emerged in the last 12 months but it has never really gone beyond that with the main focus going elsewhere.
A release clause is in his current contract with the general understanding that it is a set £60million fee with a further £8million as add-ons. Capable of playing on the left and in midfield, Eze would give Arteta a unique and talented option to impact games.
Another name mentioned but never actively pursued is Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo. The Cameroon international is expected to move clubs this summer with Manchester United leading the race. However, the appointment of Thomas Frank at Tottenham has given Ruben Amorim some stiff competition.
Fresh off scoring 20 Premier League goals last season, the Bees are demanding £70million to sell. Old Trafford is seen as his favoured destination but a move to Arsenal as part of a free-roaming front three could have been a tempting alternative.
Despite how good he has been, Mbeumo was never going to dislodge Saka from the right-hand side but as a false 9 with Eze or Gabriel Martinelli working around him, the Gunners' attack would have been very unpredictable.
As evidenced by how Manchester City won the Premier League before Erling Haaland and after Sergio Aguero, it is possible to win big prizes without a striker. Just a few weeks ago, new European champions Paris Saint-Germain showcased how useful it can be to not have a vocal point with Ousmane Dembele picking up great spaces.
Had Arsenal signed all of Huijsen, Eze and Mbeumo alongside the expected arrivals of Kepa and Zubimendi, while very different, it could certainly be considered a successful transfer window.