Now Arsenal's 2024-25 season has closed with a second-placed Premier League finish, semi-final Champions League exit to winners Paris Saint-Germain and EFL Cup semi-final loss to Newcastle, it begs the question - did they have a successful season?
A club of Arsenal's stature should ultimately be judged on trophies, so coming up empty-handed means the season wasn't a success.
However, the context behind the season suggests it wasn't entirely a failure.
The Gunners were hammered by an injury-riddled campaign including lengthy absences for key players such as Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Gabriel and several others, as well as six league red cards which left the squad thin for much of the season.
Some of it was controllable, some of it wasn't, but a priority next year has to be keeping players on the pitch.
The other redeeming aspect of Arsenal's season was the Champions League quarter-final victory over Real Madrid - with wins at home and away taking the Gunners to the semi-final. It was a brilliant achievement for a team that has struggled to beat big teams for many years.
Arsenal's big players stepped up and claiming a landmark victory as part of a deep European run bodes well for next season's chances in the competition.
On the flip side, the Premier League season was a big disappointment.
Finishing 10 points off the title on 74 points, in a season where Manchester City struggled, is underwhelming, even with the context of the injuries and red cards. This was a brilliant opportunity, one that Liverpool took and Arsenal should've taken.
The domestic cups were also a disappointment, crashing out in the semi-final of the EFL Cup to Newcastle after squandering numerous goal scoring chances, and failing to get the FA Cup campaign going with a third-round penalty shootout loss to Manchester United.
In a season where injuries and other factors get in the way, the domestic cups should be a redeeming factor.
Seasons don't always go to plan and there were some positive moments in this one, but another year without a trophy is another pile of pressure on manager Mikel Arteta and the club.
Arsenal are well positioned to bounce back next season, it's now over to the board to spend and the manager to get the squad ready to win a trophy next year.
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