Arsenal have done fantastic work in the transfer market to help build Mikel Arteta a squad which he has turned into title challengers for two successive seasons. Sporting director Edu Gaspar and soon-to-be managing director Richard Garlick with their teams have combined a system of astute recruitment and long-term thinking to construct the group which has picked up 40 of the last 45 available points in the league.

It may not be enough to win the title this season however the hope that exists now regarding the future of the club and the likelihood of a Premier League or Champions League success is at a new peak. Yet, it is not just transfers which have bridged this gap but the longevity of player contracts and the success in renewing players and improving terms.

Big deals were completed for the likes of Bukayo Saka and William Saliba who many feared might leave. Folarin Balogun also renewed before being sold in a deal which could bring in record figures thanks to the £30million-plus transfer fee and 17.5 per cent sell-on clause inserted into the deal on top of other add-ons.

Across London, Chelsea have been spending big and investing for the long term but that is yet to see anything like the return that Arsenal have witnessed. Players have been put on seven and eight-year deals.

Four players in the squad are on contracts that do not expire until at least 2029, nine are on deals until 2030 and four more see theirs locked in until 2031. It is quite ridiculous and whilst it might be good if these players are delivering but the fact of the matter is the majority are not.

Only Cole Palmer can say with certainty that it has been worth the time and money that Chelsea have put in. Compare that to Arsenal who recently extended Gabriel Magalhaes to a deal at the end of 2022 which expires just under five years later in 2027 but football.london understands the club are already in talks over a further improvement to the Brazilian who signed for only an initial £23.5million in 2020.

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This culture highlights that simply because a player renewed their deal recently does not mean that Arsenal will not reward them in a short space of time afterwards. Whereas compared to Chelsea, contractual improvements might be tougher to come by considering the length players initially signed on to.

Arsenal’s players have far greater incentive to continue pushing not only for on-field success but to earn monetary rewards from the club. Players grow together, push each other and can be rewarded as a collective for their positive exploits.

Todd Boehly is under considerable scrutiny and it is easy to see why. Whereas a once-maligned Arsenal ownership have delegated to a group of executives who have delivered an easy-to-understand process made even more obvious to understand through year-on-year progression.

It looks likely that the two clubs will only get further apart if things continue and Chelsea may well have a managerial search on their hands for a second successive summer. Arsenal meanwhile have the topic of Mikel Arteta’s future on their horizon but for all the right reasons.