At a time in football where £20m will barely get you a 16-year-old English defender's left leg, the value of a pound has become lost. A 'gamble' in the transfer market will these days will force most clubs to take out a second mortgage... or cost £35m and still play week in week out.
Cast your mind back little over 20 years and the money clubs would spend on established, or even up and coming talent, is unrecognisable. For Arsenal, the best players ever to don the shirt were bought at a snip. Back when they operated in the right ways, that is.
Which is why, if you're an Arsenal fan, the following may be a painful read - given the current state of affairs. But modern day failings aside, just who are the best signings the club have made during the Premier League era?
Read on to find out 90min's top ten.
10. Emmanuel Petit
The large French contingent over at Arsenal became something of a running joke, 'if I wanted to go to France and meet French people I'd just go to Highbury instead'.
Emmanuel Petit was no joke, though. He was an imposing and combative midfielder, whose partnership with Patrick Vieira in the late 90's balanced brute force with educated drive to near flawless effect.
Costing a mere £2.5m when he joined from Monaco, he was the steel in midfield that Arsene Wenger craved - immediately making an impact with the double winning season of 1997/98.
9. Nwankwo Kanu
A cult hero in Arsenal just as he's a national treasure in Nigeria, Kanu was never a great scorer of goals. What made him so adored in north London then? Well, he had flair, elegance, played with a smile on his face and always put the team's needs before his own.
Just as capable of tripping over himself due to his tall frame as he was nutmegging the goalkeeper, there was something about Kanu that had supporters smitten.
He brought so much to the team away from hitting the back of the net, making 180 appearances across five seasons and lifting four trophies along the way.
8. Marc Overmars
I don't know about you, but one of the traits I find most appealing in a footballer is when they're are just as comfortable using either foot. Santi Cazorla was the most recent Arsenal alumni to boast such skill, but Marc Overmars came before him.
His time in north London was short, but sweet, and his pace terrorised English football.
But for all the talk of him being quick and lethal in front of goal etc etc, it was his ambidexterity that really appealed. That seed of doubt lingering in defenders' heads was unquestionably a factor in him scoring 12 league goals during his debut season and Arsenal winning the double.
7. Nicolas Anelka
Tracing back through Nicolas Anelka's time in the game, the standout periods of his career will likely overlook his spell with Arsenal. It was essentially only two seasons long, but he made quite the impression upon arriving, and his departure left quite the impact.
Signed for a paltry £500,000, he was the quintessential Wenger addition: he was in his teenage years, French and wouldn't break the bank.
There was clearly a talent in the making here, but when Real Madrid came calling with £22.3m in 1999, it was an offer even Marlon Brando couldn't refuse. Half of that fee was used on Thierry Henry, with the rest used to develop the London Colney training complex. Money very well spent.
6. Freddie Ljungberg
As someone who grew up in Sweden, I can confirm that every kid at school rocked the red spray-painted hair, pretty much every day. Yes, so did I. They (I) loved Freddie Ljungberg over there, almost as much as Arsenal adored him over in London.
You can flick through the Arsenal history books in search of the ultimate 'big game' player, but that's an accolade Ljungberg holds all on his own.
Endearing himself to the supporters with a debut goal against Manchester United, everything that followed after was destined to be a long engagement whose split would always be amicable.
Freddie is still loved by supporters to this day as much as he was in his playing career. If only he could help them win another two Premier League titles and three FA Cups...
5. Robert Pires
Overmars' successor was never going to have an easy job; the Dutchman got supporters off their seats on a weekly basis. How do you match that? You don't in Robert Pires' case, you surpass it.
For all the magnificent goals Pires scored and the balance he offered the side during those six seasons - 2003/04 in particular - what he's most fondly remembered for by Gunners fans is his north London derby record.
In his 11 games against Tottenham he never ended up on the losing side, scoring nine times and remaining a constant tree-sized thorn in Spurs' backside.
That alone is worthy of heralding.
4. Sol Campbell
Just like Pires can be included for his derby record alone, the capture of Tottenham's captain for zero pounds is justification enough of Sol Campbell's place in this list.
There is also the fact he was the best English central defender for about three or so years, and pretty much the epitome of what Arsenal are lacking right now - but let's go back to the first point.
Wenger pinching Campbell from under Spurs' noses was a masterstroke. He became part of the 'Invincibles', cost nothing, and cemented the Gunners' place as the dominant force in north London.
It was fun while it lasted.
3. Patrick Vieira
It's been 15 years since Patrick Vieira left Arsenal and the club's supporters are still crying out for him to be replaced. That gives you an indication of just how irreplaceable he's been.
He took over the mantle of captain so effectively, despite arriving as an unknown who couldn't get a game for AC Milan. Nobody had heard of him, but everyone knew who he was by the time he left.
Balancing steel with skill, brawn with brains, he was the beating heart of the club during their finest years in the Premier League. A true leader if there ever was one, oh how Arsenal yearn for a player of his quality in the current squad.
2. Dennis Bergkamp
The greatest Dutchman ever to grace the Premier League, Dennis Bergkamp's impact on Arsenal still reverberates to this day.
His introduction transformed the club's playing style, going from aspiring 1-0 winners to the most enjoyable side to watch in the division. For a man who never flew, few glided across a football pitch quite like he did.
His elegance and genius would leave its mark on English football as a whole. Even though they may not be the best football team to watch anymore, Arsenal sure do strive for it, much of which stems from the forward's era at the club.
Was integral in both double-winning campaigns, and will forever be immortalised as a turning point in the club's top flight fortunes.
1. Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry was born with a gift to play football, and we were lucky enough to witness him embrace it.
228 goals in 375 games really doesn't tell half the story. 13 years on from leaving north London and every year the list of Greatest Ever Premier League Players always has his name sitting atop it. It's little wonder why.
Signed as a winger from Juventus, Henry transformed into a captivating centre-forward under Wenger's tutelage, combining his blistering pace with technical sophistication to become the best player that the top flight, and Arsenal, have ever seen. An icon in the football world.
Va-va-voom indeed.
Source : 90min