It was shortly before Christmas that Arsenal’s new head coach Unai Emery hosted what was a special dinner. Josh Kroenke, a club director and the son of owner Stan Kroenke, managing director Vinai Venkatesham and the new director of football Raul Sanllehi were all in attendance and together they discussed Arsenal’s future.

“We had a wonderful meal and talked about the journey we are on,” says Josh Kroenke. “It felt good to look into people’s eyes and know you are on the same page. As a group we are unified. We talked about climbing the mountain together.”

Arsenal will encounter an especially steep segment at Manchester City on Sunday but, for those who might regard winning the Champions League or Premier League as an insurmountable summit, events later on in Atlanta might provide some considerable hope.

The Kroenke family’s biggest other sports franchise, the Los Angeles Rams, will take their place in Sunday's Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, a team who are making their fifth appearance since 2012. The Rams last made the Super Bowl in 2002 and are led by Sean McVay, who is both the youngest head coach in modern NFL history and the youngest to reach what is America’s showpiece sporting occasion.