Much has been said about Arsenal's spending spree this summer, after Mikel Arteta spent almost £160million on bolstering his squad.
Ahead of deadline day on Tuesday, the Gunners had already backed Arteta to the hilt as they forked out £140m on Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Martin Odegaard, Nuno Tavares and Albert-Sambi Lokonga.
Then, in a frantic finale to the summer window, the north Londoners secured a £19.8m move for Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu to try and solve the right-back issue.
But, despite Arsenal being the biggest summer spenders in the Premier League, Gunners fans are understandably pessimistic after seeing their side lose their opening three games of the top-flight season to sit bottom of the table.
One of the more worrying aspects of their stuttering start is the form of Nicolas Pepe, who has struggled to live up to expectations since arriving for a club-record fee two years ago.
Since that £72million move, Pepe has managed just 15 goals and seven assists in the Premier League - and he has so far failed to deliver again this season despite being one of the more experienced players in Arteta's squad.
His inconsistency raises questions over the club's decision to bring in Pepe instead of Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha; a boyhood Gunners fan who has made no secret of his desire to move to the Emirates.
The Eagles star's stats may look similar to Pepe's on paper - he has scored 15 goals and provided five assists in the last two seasons - but last year's return of 11 goals show he is improving.
He's also a player that excites fans and boasts an attacking prowess that keeps fans on the edge of their seats. Pepe, as it stands, hasn't shown that talent.
Zaha has previously admitted that he was desperate to join Arsenal in the summer of 2019 - and questioned why the Gunners opted for Pepe instead of making the 'no brainer' decision to sign him.
The Ivory Coast attacker had a discussion with then Arsenal boss Unai Emery ahead of the 2019/20 season, and he thought that he was on the way to sign for his boyhood club.
"I had a conversation with the manager, actually," Zaha told Jamie Carragher on The Greatest Games podcast.
"He was just like, ‘we don’t need to go through much’. He’s seen me play, he knows I can change games at any time and stuff like that. It was like, ‘yeah, we’d love to have you’.
"And I was just like, ‘I’d love to come’. The conversation was rather straightforward because I’ve played against him when he’s managed Arsenal, he’s seen what I can do, he’s seen my work rate, what I can add to the team.
"Obviously, it was up to the club who they chose, and obviously they chose Pepe over me."
Zaha went on to claim that Arsenal should have made the "no-brainer" decision to sign him - rather than a player who had no previous experience of top-flight English football.
"I just think if there’s a player who plays in the Premier League who you see week in, week out, and you know what he does… I feel like it’s a no-brainer," he said.
"The other leagues, I feel like they are totally different, in the Prem there are no easy games whatsoever. Every team is going to give you a run for your money. There’s no game where you’re going to go, ‘yeah, we’re going to win 5-0’.
"That’s my thought. I totally understand what you mean. I feel like when players come from abroad, I don’t know, they just have that edge with clubs, it’s just like [they say], ‘yeah, I may want him a bit more because he’s from there’."
Indeed, Zaha's comments still ring true as Pepe continues to struggle at the Emirates.
The club could have done far worse than bringing in a player of Zaha's calibre, with the former Manchester United winger now a pivotal member of Patrick Vieira's project at Palace.
But the 28-year-old has made no secret of his desire to move to a so-called Big Six club - and some Arsenal fans may well wonder why the club didn't revive their interest in Zaha.
They might also wonder why it is currently going wrong, given that Arsenal currently boast the sixth most expensively-assembled squad in the world.
According to figures from transfermarkt.co.uk, the Gunners' current squad cost a stunning £495.95m to assemble, which is more than European powerhouses including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus.
Only Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Liverpool have spent more in assembling their squads.
That will only add to the frustration among Arsenal fans.
