In 2017, Premier League clubs voted for an early close to the summer transfer window. With time ticking away, Arsenal feeling the pressure to sell and make signings before the end of deadline day on Thursday August 8.
That makes July 8 the start of a month-long countdown across 31 days, and the Gunners aren't the only Premier League side intending to get business done.
It is a sprint finish that could become complicated by the messy agendas of rivals and other teams hoping to gatecrash the race for the top four this season.
Liverpool will be aiming to go one better and beat Manchester City to the title with Tottenham Hotspur keen to kick on from their Champions League final appearance.
Chelsea may not be able to sign players until the summer of 2020 but they will rivals to Arsenal for a top four place alongside Manchester United, and the likes of Everton, Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers cannot be written off.
How do their objectives in the summer transfer window tie into what the Gunners want to do - and where could they come into direct competition over signings that could decide who does and doesn't make the Champions League in 2020?
Arsenal's transfer objectives this summer
Unai Emery wants a winger this summer. That much is clear. Wilfried Zaha is the top target for the Gunners, but at £80million could be too expensive.
Ryan Fraser is a different sort of wide player, although he could be a more pragmatic option for the cash-strapped Gunners.
Ideally, Aaron Ramsey can be replaced by an all-action midfielder, but such players are expensive, and an internal promotion could be the way to plug the gap for now.
Southampton's Mario Lemina is a less pricey alternative. He could be signed for £15million. Interest in the Gabon international follows on from links to other budget-friendly options in this area such as Christopher Nkunku and Joe Aribo, now at Rangers.
Across on the other side of the Glasgow divide, Kieran Tierney is the focus of Arsenal's attentions at left-back, while William Saliba is the leading name when it comes to central defenders, with talk of a deal approaching £30million.
Unfortunately, the budget available to Emery is believed to be in the region of only £40million, and after releasing Danny Welbeck and Stephan Lichtsteiner the Spaniard could do with adding options up front and at right-back, respectively.
Arsenal's rivals and their summer transfer plans
Emery's shopping list is rather extensive for a head coach whose recruitment team only have around £45million to play with.
And that could put Arsenal on a collision course with a few of their top half opponents.
The top six
Starting in last year's top four, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are both in the market for the sort of players that could deprive the Gunners of the quality they need.
Jurgen Klopp is looking for a left-back to add depth to his defence. Tierney would fit the bill. It is something of a surprise that the Celtic full-back has not been strongly linked with the Reds.
If Arsenal were to miss out on the Scotland international, however, they could find themselves fishing in the same waters as the European champions. Not a good situation to be in.
Spurs meanwhile are the favourites to bring Dani Ceballos to England from Real Madrid. The Spaniard had been named as a potential solution to the Ramsey problem in Emery's squad this summer.
If Toby Alderweireld leaves Hotspur Way, Mauricio Pochettino could find himself eyeing up centre-backs that are currently on Arsenal's wish list too.
Mario Lemina has also been linked with Manchester United but their recruitment drive is pushing on in a different direction to the Gunners.
This summer it is Everton, Leicester and Wolves who look more likely to try and scupper plans in north London.
The rest of the top ten
Everton want to sign Kurt Zouma from Chelsea. If they fail, the Toffees could be another factor driving up prices for Arsenal in any bidding war.
Their rumoured interest in Barcelona forward Malcom highlights how their activity could even curb attempts by the Gunners move in for secondary targets.
It's a similar story with Leicester, although in Youri Tielemans they have already taken an obvious Ramsey replacement off the market.
Wolves may end up becoming an irritant for the Gunners even though they have ended their interest in Saliba. Nuno Espirito Santo is also understood to be interested in exactly the sort of auxiliary striker and midfielder Emery would also want.
The right sales pitch, with a hefty wage offer, can potentially convince some agents and their clients that a future at one of these challengers teams is brighter than at the Emirates this sesaon.
Without Champions League football to offer, and a budget smaller than would be expected of a club such as Arsenal, the Gunners cannot take their pull as a traditionally big club for granted.
