It had practically become a cliché. Petr Cech, following his arrival from Chelsea, will be worth another 10 to 15 points to Arsenal. Such is his quality, so went the common consensus, the goalkeeper will keep out some efforts that the likes of Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina previously could not. The transfer was seen as a key turning point.

So has that theory panned out? Has Cech actually brought progression in a quantifiable way? Well, I think we all know the answer to that one. With one game left, Arsenal have 68 points on the board, four less than this time last year. If Cech has indeed been responsible for earning, say, ten extra points, Arsene Wenger’s side, without the Czech international, would have been floundering in 7th position.

And in reality, that probably wouldn’t have happened, just as it hasn’t for the past couple of decades.