Granit Xhaka's future looked to have been decided by the time he'd gotten down the tunnel.
The midfielder left the pitch to a round of jeering from supporters an hour into the 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at the end of October.
Palace had equalised to make it 2-2 just eight minutes before, and Xhaka took his time leaving the pitch after his number had been held up.
After the boos from supporters, Xhaka reacted angrily, shouting obscenities and gesturing to the fans before taking off his shirt and dropping it after he left the pitch.
Within a week, he had been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy by Unai Emery, and clubs were beginning to circle ahead of a potential January transfer.
But less than two months later, Emery had left North London, sacked by the club with Freddie Ljungberg taking temporary charge of the team. And when Mikel Arteta arrived, he made it clear that he wanted the midfielder to stay.
Hertha Berlin were one of the teams keenest on taking Xhaka, with Jurgen Klinsmann taking over as manager in November and said to be a fan - particularly if he could be signed for a relatively cheap fee.
The Arsenal midfielder reportedly agreed a deal to join the club, but no transfer could be brokered between the clubs.
However, just 10 games after joining, the former Germany international has stepped down as Hertha's head coach due to a "lack of backing" from the club's board.
Hertha are currently 14th in the Bundesliga, six points clear of the relegation play-off place.
But Klinsmann has decided that he did not have the board's trust, and thus could not continue as manager.
Hertha spent over €70million (£59million) in the January window, with the likes of Lucas Tousart and Krzysztof Piatek joining - but have won just one of their last five games.
Had Xhaka moved to Berlin, it is likely he would currently be stuck in a state of limbo, rather than a key fixture in Arteta's side - having started every game since the turn of the year.
