Arsenal need to be careful if they start getting a reputation of being a clear step down from the other contenders in the league. Not so long if we were in for the same player as them, the player wants to come to us--for footballing reasons (I know there is always the London pull--how is London compared to say Paris Rome or DC? I'm a yank, so asking from ignorance). It takes a couple of seasons of Europa before they get used to 5th-7th. That was us post-Benitez until Klopp.
We had all hoped it would be the rags that'd head to purgatory but might be Arsenal instead. They're lucky Spurs inexplicably decided not to add to their team, or even they would've started opening up a gap.