LOVE ALWAYS WINS

On August 1, 2019, Arsenal's great new hope appeared. Unai Emery was convinced he'd found a left-footer capable of scoring freely from the right wing, the man who'd lead the Gunners into the future.

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"He will add pace, power and creativity, with the aim of bringing more goals to our team," the Basque boss declared. "A top-class winger has been one of our key objectives." Nicolas Pepe cost Arsenal a club-record £72 million, but the club believed Lille's 24-year-old would guide them back into the top four and beyond. As it turned out, he'd score just 16 times in the Premier League during three seasons with the Gunners - £4.5m per goal.

The player Emery needed had been on the club's books for 11 years, having moved from Watford when he was only seven. Six weeks after Pepe's arrival, the record transfer was rested to the bench for Arsenal's first Europa League fixture of the season, at Eintracht Frankfurt. Into the team came 18-year-old Bukayo Saka.

The result? A first senior goal, curled sweetly into the bottom corner from outside the box, and two assists in a 3-0 away win. This time, Emery had seen the future. Arsenal's Starboy was here - and it wasn't Nicolas Pepe.

EMERY'S ROADRUNNER

Religion is a thorny subject, as anyone who's spent more than 10 minutes at a suburban dinner party will tell you. In an increasingly secular society, someone's faith can be the butt of jokes - however beige and well-intentioned - yet it remains crucial for many modern footballers' repertoires. Whether helping to rationalise their ethereal gifts or simply needing something bigger to believe in, it just works.