Okay, so that’s a wild wish-list, but it’s not so outlandish that we should rule it out. For one, Silent Stan Kroenke has re-registered Arsenal as a private limited company (PLC), furthering a move away from the public company model. The downside? Shares of the club are no longer available to the public. The upside? Kroenke is taking on a larger role in financing the club, as evinced by his spending £400 million on new signings in recent years. This is the water in which we swim. At least Kroenke doesn’t have his hands sullied by any significant human rights abuses…

Even if we fall short of a Prem title here, Kroenke must see the return on his investment. We’re still agonisingly close to winning the Prem and will almost certainly qualify for a Champions League spot, and each of those comes with considerable financial windfalls when it comes to sponsorship deals, televised matches, and winnings. We can start kicking the tires on bigger transfer targets to graft to Arteta’s youth development. Along with that, of course, we’ll be looking at bigger transfer fees.

That’s what it takes to compete at this level. A club cannot simply rely on finding diamonds in the rough anymore, not when the likes of PSG, Man City, or Real Madrid can simply pounce on any precocious performer with a fee and wage offer that would dwarf the GDP of a fair few sovereign countries.

Still, our newfound competitiveness should combine well with Kroenke’s new-found largesse. Victor Osimhein, Moussa Diaby, and Declan Rice may very command transfer fees that approach if not exceed £100m. Could we bring in all three? Each would, after all, address key needs, but each might also expect to walk into the starting lineup. With the possible exception of Osimhein, we might be able to entice these other targets with the prospect of European football and, maybe, silverware. Guehi might be an even easier sell, given Palace’s dire straits.

It’s clear that we lack the depth to cope with an injury to one key player such as Saliba. Now that we’re looking down the barrel of a gauntlet of injuries to Saliba, Gabriel, and Tomiyasu, (plus Smith-Rowe), our need for depth and versatility is even more obvious. While we can’t amass a squad as deep and as versatile as Man City’s without also committing some serious financial crimes, not to mention human rights abuses, we can at least start to dream of building a squad capable of finishing what this one started.

It’s still too early to call this season a disappointment, what with a handful of matches left to play. If we do succumb to our shortcomings and settle for second place, that should still stand as a tremendous achievement. Anyone who says otherwise can find the nearest, shortest pier off of which to take a long walk.

Summer should bring some exciting, maybe even inspiring news. We’re not done. We’re not even remotely done.

In fact, I have a feeling that we’re just getting started.