Only those with the biggest of third eyes predicted Arsenal to be Manchester City's biggest title challenger this season.
Most pre-season predictions pegged City as clear winners with perhaps only old foes Liverpool and big-spenders Chelsea able to put up any sort of resistance. But out of nowhere Arsenal have emerged as the biggest contender to the throne and led the way for the vast majority.
It was only a late wobble from Mikel Arteta's side, a mere three draws, that opened the door for the relentless machine that is City to charge over them and retake top spot. When facing down a side as near-perfect as Pep Guardiola's, you can't put much of a foot wrong as the most minor of slips can see you career off a cliff.
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The Gunners were a complete surprise this season. They were considered not a threat enough for City to sell both Gabriel Jesus and Aleks Zinchenko to North London. They finished 24 points behind the Blues last season down in fifth. But their drastic improvement, even if they couldn't quite maintain their new high level right to the end, means they look set to return to the elite level for the foreseeable.
One thing is for sure, Arsenal will catch no one off guard next season. The board at the Emirates deserve immense credit for sticking by Arteta when the hounds were circling during difficult months and though there has been a massive leap in progress this year, the project is still far from finished.
A return to Champions League action will bring an even more gruelling season and a big summer is on the horizon. They have proved themselves capable of challenging at the top, now will they capitalise on it and push even further?
They have to. But if City are looking across at their new rivals, a very shrewd, cynical operator may well be thinking up ways to disrupt their progress. There's a simple yet brutal way to do it: sign one of their best players.
It certainly seems unlikely, why would Arsenal in their right mind make themselves worse by making the best team in the country better? Well, you only need to look at the hapless fate of Borussia Dortmund giving all their best players to Bayern Munich over the last decade to know it's not uncommon.
Premier League clubs have much bigger resources than the second-best team in Germany, of course, but the Premier League isn't too far away from becoming the Bundesliga given City's total dominance in the competition. The best players want to win and City are making it so there's only one place to do so.
Another factor that has aided Bayern's and the other vultures that pick Dortmund dry is expiring contracts. There's not much a club can do if a player doesn't want to extend his deal and if you're going to lose him any way you may as well get some cash.
A brief glance at Arsenal's squad list tells us that their best player by some distance and one of the best wingers on the planet, Bukayo Saka, as well as star centre-back William Saliba, is out of contract in 2024. Captain and midfield maestro Martin Odegaard's runs until 2025.
That's a vulnerable position to be in, especially as all three would fit in very nicely at the Etihad. City are well stocked on wingers and the position isn't a priority but Saka would still walk straight in on the right flank. It's scary how much more of a threat he would make them.
A new centre-back may well be needed given the rumblings around Aymeric Laporte's dissatisfaction and Saliba has been excellent. Arsenal's drop in form has coincided with his recent injury. A new midfielder is the biggest target and with Real Madrid looking the favourites to get Jude Bellingham, Odegaard would not be a bad alternative in the slightest.
Are any of those transfers likely? Absolutely not. Would City hoovering up the best talent from budding challengers be dreadful for the competitiveness of a league that is already in a stranglehold? Absolutely.
But would signing just one of that three be a masterstroke from City, a deeply calculated move to keep themselves at the top? You bet.
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