​One can dream, can’t they? And in regards to Arsenal and any potential incomings, ‘dream’ has been the primary word used when any fan of the club lists a player they’d like to join the Mikel Arteta revolution.

Every man and his dog is fully aware that significant changes need to occur in north London for the Gunners to stand any chance of rediscovering the wonders of a fourth-place finish and to avoid slipping into the Europa League AGAIN.

While ​Arsenal’s academy continues to play a key role in the club’s future, the glaringly obvious areas of improvement need addressing both to appease the disillusioned fanbase, as well as provide Arteta with some chance of reinvigorating a club who’ve fallen by the ​Premier League wayside.

Within reason – given the pitiful budget the club has – we take a look at what sales and signings could be made to inject some much-need life back into the squad and attempt to push the club back up the league table.

Transfers In

Where to start? Only a couple of areas in the starting lineup are nailed down, and even in some of those cases, there are no ready-made backup choices to fill the void if injury or suspension occurs. So, let’s take a look…

Nathan Ferguson – With Hector Bellerin the only recognised right-back in the squad, there is desperate need to reinforce. Highly regarded in England for his performances at West Brom, Ferguson could be a decent (and free!) addition. Free (With Tribunal Compensation)

Thomas Partey – This rumour has been lingering for some time, and with a £43.5m release clause, money from player sales will make this a deal worth pursuing. He’d need convincing of the project, but his box-to-box and combative style would suit the midfield. £43.5m

Corentin Tolisso – With Bayern Munich willing to offload the French midfielder in the summer, hopes of rediscovering the player he was before his long-term injury have European clubs on high alert. Even more so, the supposed asking price is so low it’d be foolish to not investigate. £25m

Willy Boly – Yet to sign a new deal at Wolves and with just one year remaining on his contract, Arsenal could do with a commanding defender like 29-year-old Boly to add steel to a frail backline. £25m

Ryan Fraser – After everyone has let out a collective groan, the fact is, Arsenal need another left-winger and they won’t get anyone cheaper. This season hasn’t lived up to the heights of his last campaign, but maybe, with better quality players around him, he can shine again. This is where Arsenal are at now. Free

Pablo Mari – In no way, shape or form the defender to answer Arsenal’s issues at the back, but, for the fee in question, it’s likely Arteta will make the move with William Saliba already incoming and all other central defenders costing £500m at least. £13m

William Saliba – Rarely does a player have more pressure placed on his shoulders without having even kicked a ball. Seen as the ‘messiah’ despite only being 19 years old and never having kicked a ball in England, it’ll be interesting to see how this one works out. Already Bought

Potential Spend: £106.5m

Transfers Out

All of the above hinge heavily on what funds can be raised through player sales. Sadly, as has been seen far too frequently over the past few seasons, the players who would command decent transfer fees have run their contracts down – so it’s pretty slim pickings.

Shkodran Mustafi – Three-and-a-half seasons since his move to north London, Mustafi’s reputation as a top drawer central defender has plummeted as fast Arsenal’s credibility across Europe. Needs to go. £12m

Sokratis Papastathopoulos – Signed three years too late in his career, Sokratis is another player whose performances have gradually worsened. Now 31 it’s unlikely that he’ll command a decent fee, but it’s something. £6m

Konstantinos Mavropanos – Unlikely to come back and challenge for the first team. Accrue whatever possible. £6m

Granit Xhaka – Without a doubt the most improved player under Arteta’s tutelage, the fact that a new-look Xhaka could draw a decent profit might be an opportunity too great to refuse. With midfield targets in sight, the Swiss could be moved on. £20m

Mohamed Elneny – His time at Arsenal will likely come to an end as soon as someone offers any sum of money for him. The Premier League isn’t his level, but at somewhere else in Europe he could offer a decent midfield option. £6m

Ainsley Maitland-Niles – While no fan likes to see an academy product fail to make the grade, it’s clear that Arteta has not been impressed by Maitland-Niles. The opportunity to play in his preferred midfield role elsewhere could see a mutual departure occur. £8m

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Everyone is wishing Mkhitaryan all the best at Roma, simply because that means they might stump up the money and buy him. Thus far, he’s doing just that, so hopefully, the club and player see the loan as a longer-term option. £10m

Sead Kolasinac – Tough one to call given the improvements he’s shown under Arteta, but as one of the few players in the squad who could earn the club a profit – as well as remove his big wages from wage bill – it might have to be done considering Kieran Tierney is now back and fit. £15m

​Emile Smith Rowe – Needs an extended loan spell to improve his game, and while he looked on the cusp of doing so for Huddersfield, another loan will benefit all parties. Loan Out

Dani Ceballos – Has impressed in patches while on loan, but with Real Madrid likely to seek upwards of £35m for him, it’s a move that will likely out-price the Gunners for a player who won’t meet the requirements. End of Loan

Cedric Soares – While intended to come in as backup for the rest of the season, the fact Cedric was injured and incapable to do so begs belief. Arsenal already spent £5m on the loan, but they shouldn’t make it permanent. Not the standard required. End of Loan 

Potential Sales: £83m

Full First-Team Squad for 2020/21 in a Dream Scenario (inc. Squad Numbers) 

​Not all goals are created equal.

As much as all strikers like to trot out the old adage ‘they all count the same’, that is a lie. They are lying. They are liars. Scoring in the dying minutes to make it 7-0 carries only a fraction of the significance that a winning strike does.

Equally, pulling one back to reduce a massive deficit may make the scoreline more flattering, but it doesn’t change the number of points your side wins.

Inevitably, sometimes these ‘meaningless’ goals happen to be converted in extraordinary fashion. These gems either get lost in the fog of time because of their insignificance or, more interestingly, the circumstances surrounding the goal get brushed aside due to its the overriding aesthetics of the strike.

Adel Taarabt – Queens Park Rangers vs West Ham, October 2012

The Moroccan nutmeg specialist has ​reinvented himself as a player with some semblance of tactical discipline in recent years but back in 2012 Taarabt was at his mercurial best for QPR against West Ham.

Sticking to his manager’s mandate of remaining in the opposition’s half or face a fine, this was Taarabt’s first goal of the season and came when QPR were 2-0 down. It proved to be the last goal of the game as Taarabt and the Rs endured a bleak campaign, winning just four league matches all season.

Terry Phelan – Manchester City vs Tottenham, March 1993

Phelan netted this mazy effort in the 88th minute of an FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham to reduce the deficit from three goals to two, as ​Manchester City limped out of the competition with a 4-2 loss at home.

Tottenham’s Nayim scored a hat-trick that day, a man famous for one spectacular goal in the final of the 1995 Cup Winners’ Cup against his former north London rivals. That one was anything but meaningless.

Olivier Giroud – Arsenal vs Man Utd, November 2014

15 minutes after Giroud came on for ​Arsenal against Manchester United, the French striker – who has a tendency for an extravagant finish – ripped one past David de Gea for some consolation in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give the Gunners a more respectable 2-1 defeat at home.

Yeah. The 95th minute. We call that ‘too late’.

Christian Benteke – Liverpool vs Man Utd, September 2015

It’s fair to say Benteke’s time on Merseyside didn’t exactly go to plan. The Belgian frontman – who has scored seven goals against ​Liverpool in his career – only managed ten while playing for the Reds.

This effort at Old Trafford was spectacular but only brought the score back to 2-1 before Anthony Martial made sure United took home all three points just a couple of minutes later.

Fabio Quagliarella – Italy vs Slovakia, June 2006

Quagliarella, a Napoli player at the time, delicately chipped Slovakia’s Ján Mucha in the second minute of stoppage time in the final round of Group F games at the 2010 World Cup.

If they’d been 2-1 down at the time, instead of 3-1, it would’ve been enough to claim the point that would’ve put them through into the last 16. As it was, the defending champions finished bottom of the group and went home miserable.

Eric Cantona – Manchester United vs Sunderland, December 1996

It’s a goal every ​Premier League fan will know and, if not love because of club loyalties, at least have some begrudging respect for.

However, while this chip enjoys endless reruns, the scoreline gets very little airtime. As Cantona is cautiously embraced by Brian McClair, the Frenchman made it 5-0 in the 80th minute.

This iconic effort did little more than add to Sunderland’s misery but its lack of importance on the day is overshadowed by the celebration as much as the finish.

Matthew Le Tissier – Southampton vs Blackburn, December 1994

Southampton’s greatest ever player was built for this list: No-one has scored more Premier League goals in defeats than Le Tissier, a player famous for memorable strikes.

The man who the St Mary’s faithful would christen Le God scored twice in the Saints’ 3-2 defeat to the eventual champions Blackburn. It was his second which we’ll focus on though, when he lobbed his former teammate Tim Flowers from at least 30 yards to bring his side within one goal of a point – which they ultimately didn’t get.

This strike won BBC’s goal of the season award, one of two that Le Tissier had nominated in that year’s competition but, as Flowers undoubtedly pointed out after the incident, it didn’t mean squat.

Gareth Bale – Tottenham vs Inter, October 2010

Bale, unquestionably, takes the biscuit with his ​Champions League hat-trick against Inter.

It’s unlikely that there has been any other performance which has so definitively inspired the public to try and end another player’s career but Bale’s three (meaningless) goals earned as much praise for the Welshman as they did calls for Maicon’s retirement.

Bale scored all three of his near-identical (but spectacular) goals after Spurs went 4-0 down in the Champions League group stage away to Inter and while his hat-trick was impressive, it ultimately made no difference to the final result.