If Arsenal's statement win over Liverpool earlier this month wasn't enough to convince fans and pundits that they were back in the Premier League title race, their emphatic 6-0 drubbing of West Ham United on Sunday must have.
Mikel Arteta's side knew that rivals would be watching and hoping they would slip up after the exuberant celebrations of the previous match, but a first half that saw them score four goals put to bed any danger of that happening.
The second half brought two more goals – including a sensational Declan Rice strike – and rounded off the club's biggest Premier League away win ever.
As he was against the Reds, Bukayo Saka once again ended the game on the scoresheet and looked to be on his way back to his best.
However, another attacker in Europe, once a fan favourite in N5, is outscoring the Hale End gem this season.
How Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fared at Arsenal
The player in question is none other than former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who, in his four years at the club, made a massive impact for both the right and sometimes the wrong reasons.
The Gabon international signed for the Gunners in January 2018 from Borussia Dortmund for a then-club record fee of around £60m and hit the ground running, scoring against Everton on his Premier League debut.
He ended that season with ten goals and four assists for the Gunners, and while that was impressive, his return of 31 goals and eight assists in 51 appearances the following campaign was simply unbelievable.
The following year saw the arrival of Arteta, but that didn't stop the goals – at this point anyway – and the former Saint-Étienne ace found the back of the net on 29 occasions in 44 appearances, including a brace in the FA Cup Semi-Final and Final – although his dropping of the trophy now reads as an omen of what was to come.
At this point in his Arsenal career, the then-31-year-old was an unequivocal success, and so, somewhat understandably, the club offered him a bumper new contract worth around £250,000k-a-week, which many see as the beginning of the end for his time at the Emirates.
The 2020/21 season saw a paltry return of just 15 goals and four assists from 39 appearances, which fell to just seven goals and two assists in 15 the following year before he was unceremoniously shipped off to Barcelona.
His poor form, discipline, and runs-ins with Arteta – the Spaniard stripped him of the captaincy – made his place in the squad untenable. So, a player who once looked destined to become a "legend", and was described as such by Saka, left out the back door and under a cloud of controversy.
How Aubameyang got on after Arsenal
Now, most English fans will think of his disastrous spell at Chelsea when contemplating Aubameyang post-Arsenal, but that is not entirely fair.
After all, in his short time with Barcelona, he scored 13 goals and provided one assist in just 24 appearances before he made the terrible decision to head back to London.
In his 21 games for the Blues, Auba scored just three goals and provided a single assist, and when your most memorable moments include your former teammates celebrating in your face and your former fans booing your every move, you know it's been a bad season.
However, while a lot of players in their mid-30s might have called it quits after such a cataclysmically bad season or taken the money from somewhere like the Saudi Pro League, the Laval-born poacher opted to back himself, returned to France and signed for Olympique Marseille.
So, with 30 appearances under his belt for the French giants, was it a good move?
Without a shadow of a doubt, opting to remain in Europe last summer was the right decision by Aubameyang as he racked up 14 goals, provided seven assists on the French Riviera, and saved his reputation at the same time.
30
31
23
28
14
13
8
7
0.46
0.41
0.34
0.25
In fact, his current goal output is better than every Arsenal player this season, including Saka, and he has just two fewer goal involvements than Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus combined.
Ultimately, the Gunners have an exciting young attack that will inevitably improve as the seasons pass.
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However, Arteta must sometimes wonder whether he'd currently be better off with Aubameyang still in the squad, especially with 14 goals to his name this season.