When Arsenal locked horns with Manchester City a few days ago the difference in class and quality was clear for all to see.
Mikel Arteta's men may have been leading the Premier League for the vast majority of the season but it is his former employers who still hold a firm grip over everyone else in the top flight.
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne evoke memories of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry at Highbury many moons ago, and even if Arsenal do have plenty of quality in attack, they are not quite ready to reign supreme yet.
Reinforcements will be required next term, particularly with the Gunners ready to dine out in the Champions League again, with a bigger squad now a necessity.
Who could Arsenal sign this summer?
Sourcing a replacement for Rob Holding – someone who can deputise at William Saliba's expense – will be key, but they also require fresh faces in midfield.
Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo are two notable names, while a move for Chelsea star Mason Mount is thought to be in the pipeline.
Fresh reports suggest Edu and co are even preparing an offer. Bringing in a player with over 50 goal involvements in the Premier League would certainly not be a bad move, particularly if the idea is for Mount to succeed Granit Xhaka in the number 8 role.
That said, there may well already be a player in Arsenal's squad who could thrive in that area of the pitch; Emile Smith Rowe.
What's happened to Emile Smith Rowe this season?
This has been a troubling campaign for the £40k-per-week earner in north London.
Last term, Smith Rowe was the club's second top scorer in all competitions but in 2022/23, he has been resigned to a watching brief.
The 22-year-old hasn't started a single game in the Premier League this term, has appeared only ten times and is yet to score across just 133 minutes of top-flight football.
Much of that is owed to a groin injury that required surgery in the opening stages of the campaign but even since his return, Arteta has ignored the budding youngster.
There is a degree of the Gabriel Martinelli treatment here. The Brazilian took a while to get back into the side after a previous injury but is now Arsenal's top scorer this term with 15 strikes.
What is Emile Smith Rowe's playstyle?
Plenty in the fanbase are worried about Smith Rowe's development and it would mean a great deal to them and the player if Areta put his faith in the former Huddersfield Town loanee over Mount.
After all, they have similar qualities. First and foremost, the pair are capable of playing in a wide array of roles, whether it's out on the flanks, as a 10 or deeper as a forward-thinking central midfielder.
13 of Mount's goals last term may have come from a wide area but this term, although he has just three goals to his name, he has popped up in more central areas.
Coincidentally, Smith Rowe has thrived in both roles, scoring eight from the flanks last term, and popping up with three from an advanced central area.
The "exciting" ace – as dubbed by Jamie Carragher – is simply a "special talent" and has to be unleashed more next season.
His ability to create and score fairly equally, just like Mount, are enviable qualities, not to mention "he's the best player in the Premier League running the ball" as per Carragher.
Arsenal will need to spend in the summer, but perhaps a degree of faith must also be shown in those who have got them to this point.
