At the very last moment, just when all hope was nearly lost, Arsenal pulled off one of the greatest transfer hijacks in recent memory by usurping Tottenham to a deal for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.
Earlier this week, Spurs appeared to have Eze's signing all done and dusted when they reached a verbal club-to-club agreement for the 27-year-old, after also agreeing personal terms with the player himself.
However, Kai Havertz's injury prompted Andrea Berta to make a last-minute dash for Eze after laying plenty of groundwork earlier this summer and holding extensive talks with the England international's representatives.
Arsenal matched Tottenham's bid, leaving Eze with the final decision, and he ultimately chose a return to his boyhood club - 14 years after being released by them as a young academy prospect.
“As we moved into this week, Spurs reached an agreement in principle. They had a fee very similar to that of what Arsenal are paying of £60million plus add-ons," said journalist Ben Jacobs on talkSPORT.
“Kai Havertz picked up a knee injury and Arsenal said ‘we’ve done all of the leg work so let’s move’.
“Eze was therefore faced with a straight choice of Arsenal or Spurs and in that scenario with both having a club-to-club agreement, Eze was always going to pick Arsenal."
The transfer, now estimated to cost Mikel Arteta's side around £67.5 million, is great news for QPR as well - as the Hoops inserted a 15 per cent sell-on clause on any profit for Eze when they sold him to Palace in 2020.
Eze started undergoing his Arsenal medical on Friday morning, so Arteta will soon have the Londoner at his disposal in what is a seismic boost for their Premier League title challenge.
Now, the question is, how will Arteta utilise the attacking star who bagged 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions for Palace last season?
Arsenal's plan for Eberechi Eze after hijacking Tottenham
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal plan to use Eze as a number 10, which is "fascinating" because it's a clear indication that Arteta was planning a similar role for Havertz, before the German's forced absence.