Arsenal fans were promised a fresh start, new ideas and a brighter future - a complete rebuild.
That 'r' word has been thrown about all summer with wholesale changes expected at the club, but in a blink of an eye, the new season is about to begin.
The Gunners get their Premier League campaign underway against Brentford on Friday night as they look to emphatically respond after what, by their standards, was little more than a dismal year.
It would have been unrealistic to think that their failings from last season, as they finished outside the European spots for the first time in 25 years, would be corrected overnight, but are they in position to deliver on their promise of vast improvement?
Mirror Football takes a look at Arsenal's rebuild so far and assessed where they stand as the new season kicks off.
How many signings do Arsenal from now until the end of the transfer window? Comment below
Lack of urgency
Yes, there is still time for the north London club to get players in and move players out before the August 31 deadline, but Arsenal look to be running out of time to achieve what they set out to do at the start of the summer.
There is a huge upside for getting your business done as early as possible. The quicker your squad is settled and new players get accustomed to new surroundings, the better.
From a business standpoint, it also means clubs are not forced into any last-minute deals - which can see you cut prices or pay over the odds.
It was crucial that Arsenal got out the blocks quickly when the transfer window opened with the amount of player turnover that was expected. Instead, they laboured, missing out on several targets and were seemingly undecided about some of their own player's futures. - Granit Xhaka for example.
After their disappointing season, it's key Arteta's men get off to a good start, but with the unsettled nature of their squad, it makes that prospect more difficult.
Building momentum early doors is so important, otherwise, you end up being a team that's looking down instead of up. Arsenal play Chelsea and Manchester City in their second and third games of the season, hardly ideal when some fans are already restless from their lack of signings.
Creative star alludes Arteta
Arsenal's pursuit of a creative midfielder has been never-ending, but they're exactly in the same position as they were at the end of the last season.
In fact, they could be worse off because Martin Odegaard has returned to his parent club. The Gunners were keen to make that move permanent - it was on the cards, then it wasn't and then it was again. That's been a similar theme for Arsenal as they chase a new No.10.
Emi Buendia also slipped out of their grasp as the Argentine signed for Aston Villa for a potential £34million. Given that he was a long-term target for Arteta, that has to go down as a missed opportunity; should Arsenal really be getting outmanoeuvred in the market by Villa?
James Maddison is the latest name in the frame and it seems like he ticks all the boxes, but Arsenal's opening talks have been tentative but Leicester's asking price and wage demands look likely to be too steep for them.
So, where does that leave them?
Their lack of creativity last season was a huge issue and that has carried over into pre-season as they struggle to put the ball in the back of the net. Selling Joe Willock for £25m to Newcastle could be seen as good business, but only if those funds are used to facilitate deals for someone like Maddison, because if they don't, they have even fewer options in midfield.
Emile Smith-Rowe's contract extension is a huge plus as he's a player they want to build around. But he is still developing and needs some help.
Ben White verdict
The signing of Ben White is one step in the right direction as his versatility gives Arsenal lots of options.
Undoubtedly, they needed a centre-half after David Luiz's exit and the Englishman seems to have all the qualities you would want in a modern-day central defender.
Certainly £50million is a steep price to pay, but if Arsenal get six, seven years out of him, it's a good investment because he has a lot of potential.
Arsenal supporters had hoped his arrival would kick start a spending spree, but that hasn't quite materialised.
Where is Auba's wingman?
Arsenal clearly want a new striker as well, but again it's an area they have fired blanks.
Lautaro Martinez appears to be staying at Inter, while a deal for Tammy Abraham looks to be up in the air after Roma agreed a £34million fee for the Chelsea striker. He's a boyhood Arsenal fan, so perhaps he holds out and they can get a late deal done?
Because Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang needs some back-up, even if he does return to the form he showed the season before last.
However, there are even concerns he won't reach that level again so adding a new forward is imperative.
Arteta doesn't seem to trust Alexandre Lacazette to step into that role, but at the same time, he hasn't been able to offload him either. Eddie Nketiah is likely to go, while Folarin Balogun is talented, but largely untested.
Ramsdale fiasco
Aaron Ramsdale is another 'will they, won't they' target for the Gunners, another deal that has dragged on through the summer.
Arsenal are not willing to pay the £30million-plus fee Sheffield United want for the keeper, which is probably a wise decision.
But the fact that has been entertained, for so long, sums up their recruitment issues
There was talk that the club made a mistake selling Emi Martinez for £20million to Aston Villa last summer and it's hard to argue against that if they end up spending more than that for Ramsdale - especially with Bernd Leno's long-term future in doubt.
Xhaka U-turn
It seemed destined that Granit Xhaka was going to leave Arsenal as Roma were interested in the Swiss midfielder.
However, Jose Mourinho's men couldn't meet the club's asking price and the deal fell through.
But of all a sudden in what you would consider a complete U-turn, Xhaka was then handed a new contract with Arteta claiming he has always been a part of his plans, despite the fact he was obviously one of the players up for sale for this rebuild.
Reading between the lines, the club realised that it would have made no sense to part ways with the experienced player if they couldn't bring in a replacement.
And as Arsenal seemingly run into problems in that respect, they have opted to keep Xhaka out of need, not want. It's the right decision by the Gunners, but ultimately it's been a shambolic way to reach that point.
Failure to trim squad
Arsenal's inability to shift Xhaka is a common theme this summer as the likes of Bernd Leno, Hector Bellerin, Sead Kolasinac, WIllian, Reiss Nelson, Lucas Torreira, Ainsley Matiland-Niles and Lacazette have all been made available if the right offer lands.
The Gunners hoped to shift at least some of them to fund signings in the other direction, but not only have they not been able to add those reinforcements, they now have a bunch of players in the squad that know they are not wanted at the club.
There is still time for Arsenal to recover the situation, but it's looking more and more likely, this rebuild will go down as a botched job.
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