Arsenal enjoyed plenty of world-class talent under Arsene Wenger's legendary 22-year reign, with the Frenchman leading the Gunners to seven FA Cups and three Premier League titles amongst numerous other honours.
The likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires all are regarded as some of the most gifted players to have ever played in England, yet this quality dwindled significantly in the latter years of the 73-year-old's tenure.
As such, the north London outfit were often forced to accept that challenging for the league had grown out of their reach.
Despite that, there were fleeting moments where once again some of the best in their position would seek a move to the Emirates. Given their lack of impetus to push for major honours at the time, it now seems a fever dream that Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez starred on the same side for so many years.
The latter in particular often took the team on his back to drag them through games, becoming a cult hero with his unrelenting work rate and unparalleled ability.
However, as was often the case with these stars, he grew disillusioned. His exit mirrored that of Robin van Persie's, and in what was a truly awful deal for all involved, the Chilean moved to Manchester United.
Why did Alexis Sanchez leave Arsenal?
Having signed for the club in 2014, his £35m fee represented a large outlay but comparatively great value for a player of his quality.
At Barcelona he had enjoyed numerous cup successes, and there was hope the now 34-year-old would bring that mentality to north London. 16 league goals in his debut season suggested he could do just that, and the Chile international would hit double figures in three of his four years at the club before that fateful switch.
The apex of Sanchez's career under Wenger undoubtedly came during the 2016-17 campaign, as the trickster notched an astounding 24 league goals as well as six goal contributions in their run to FA Cup glory.
However, whether it be for ambition or pure greed, the Red Devils' interest would be reciprocated by the player. It only took a swap deal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to finalise terms.
Seeing the wages of the Marseille man immediately rise to £350k-per-week suggests the latter of those two aforementioned options to be true, and his performances at Old Trafford would subsequently fall off a cliff; much to the delight of Arsenal fans.
From being "the best player by far" under Wenger, in the eyes of Ander Herrera, to scoring just three league goals following his move, marked a significant downturn.
It was a saga that drew startling comparisons with Samir Nasri's deal to join Manchester City, who claimed he had wanted to make history by leaving whilst admitting that he had been offered three times his previous wage.
The Frenchman, who registered 27 goals at the Emirates in 125 outings, would also struggle to become a true star upon leaving, proving that the grass is not always greener.
Indeed, Nasri would score the same number of goals for City, but in 51 more matches as his consistency dwindled.
Had both of these tricksters sought to stay at the club that shaped them into the prominent figures they became, perhaps they could have earned the elite silverware they so richly desired over an elongated period.
However, given how important Sanchez was during his period at the club, his exit stung more than most from Wenger's tenure. The only saving grace was to see his career nosedive, but it then became a great 'what could have been' story had he just stayed put.
