It was the cold-blooded nature of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s hat-trick in Valencia, as much as the hat-trick itself, that underlined the elite predatory qualities of the man who will lead Arsenal’s attack in Azerbaijan this week.

In total, Aubameyang’s three goals in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final came from just four touches of the ball. There was the kung-fu volley from the edge of the box, the near-post dart and then the close-range finish into the roof of the net. One, two, three. Thank you and good night.

Those three strikes, in the biggest game of Arsenal’s season, showcased the goalscoring ability that Arsenal would expect from a striker who cost £56 million from Borussia Dortmund in January last year. It was a hefty sum, the most Arsenal have spent on a player, but 16 months down the line there can be no questioning whether he was worth the investment.

In Aubameyang, Arsenal possess a world-class attacking weapon. Both they and Chelsea know that he will provide the primary attacking threat in Wednesday’s Europa League final, prowling the penalty box with all of the menace that has made him one of the most feared finishers of the past decade.