Under Mikel Arteta's leadership, nearly everything has changed at Arsenal.
The Spaniard took charge of a midtable side stuck going nowhere and turned them into a brilliant team who were in a Premier League title race for the third campaign on the bounce this season.
On top of that, the club are now seemingly more willing to splash the cash on marquee signings than they were in the past, which is likely something we will see again in the summer.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates after the match-1
Moreover, last summer was the first time in a long time that the club were one of the best selling sides in a transfer window, although it should be said that a few months before he got the job, the club hit the jackpot by selling an academy graduate he for an enormous profit, and more than Emile Smith Rowe went for last season.
Arteta's best sales
Before getting to the player in question, it's worth looking at a couple of Arteta's best sales as Arsenal manager, starting with someone who netted the club a significant profit: Folarin Balogun.
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There was a time when the American forward was looked upon as the Gunners' next great centre-forward, so much so, in fact, that Martin Keown compared him to Ian Wright and Andy Cole in 2020.
That belief was further bolstered when the New York-born striker scored 22 goals and provided three assists in 39 first-team appearances while on loan with Ligue 1 side Stade Reims in the 22/23 season.
However, instead of integrating him into his team the following campaign, the manager opted to move him to AS Monaco for a massive fee of around £34m, and considering he's scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 42 appearances since, it would be fair to say it was the right decision.
A sale that is perhaps a little more contentious among the Gunners faithful today is that of Smith Rowe.
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The Hale End product was a firm fan favourite at the Emirates due to the way he and Bukayo Saka came to prominence and arguably helped keep Arteta in the job early on in his tenure.
However, a string of injuries and the signing of Martin Odegaard eventually saw him relegated to a bit part role at best.
Smith Rowe
With it clear he wouldn't get much in the way of significant game time this season, the club agreed to sell him to Fulham for a fee that could reach £34m.
Now, while that's a good price, the combination of injuries in Arteta's squad and the fact that he's racked up a tally of seven goal involvements this term has led some to question whether he should have been let go.
Interestingly, the same things have not been said about one of the Englishman's teammates at Craven Cottage, who was sold by the Gunners for even more money back in 2019.
The Arsenal star sold for more than Smith Rowe
So, when it comes to impressive sales before Arteta took over as Arsenal manager, you can't look past Alex Iwobi.
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The Fulham star joined the Gunners as a youngster and, under the management of the great Arsène Wenger and Unai Emery, would go on to make 149 first-team appearances, in which he scored 15 goals and provided 24 assists.
The Nigerian international was reliable, if a little unspectacular, during his time in North London, so when Everton made an offer of £35m to sign him in the summer of 2019, it seemed like a no-brainer to thank him for his service and send him to Goodison.
Iwobi's senior career
Club
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Goal Involvements per Match
All Stats via Transfermarkt
What made the sale even more incredible was that, due to him being an academy player, the entire fee was profit, making it undoubtedly one of the best sales in the club's history.
Since leaving the Gunners, the "exceptional" talent, as " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dubbed by Wenger, has carved out a great career for himself in the Premier League, making 140 appearances for the Toffees and then, since his £22m move to Craven Cottage, he has made 67 appearances for the West Londoners, in which he's scored 13 goals and provided six assists.
He's become an integral player for Marco Silva over the years, and it was no surprise to hear Arteta describe him as a "tremendous talent" and a "very special" player ahead of his side's game against Fulham in December, a game the former Gunners' ace started and which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Ultimately, while Iwobi has gone on to have a great top-flight career and would certainly be a useful squad player for Arteta and Co, Arsenal made the right decision to sell him when they did, as even now, the money Everton offered would be too good to turn down.
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