Alex Zinchenko and Mykhailo Mudryk could have been club and international teammates if the January window panned out differently.
Arsenal chased Mudryk for much of the month, haggling with Shakhtar Donestk over a fee before Chelsea swooped rapidly to sign him for £88 million.
The Gunners went for Leandro Trossard instead, and the Belgian has been providing assists in the title charge, while Mudryk has taken more time to adjust across town.
Zinchenko has told the Daily Mail that he wanted Mudryk to come to Arsenal in the winter and the message he said to the winger once he decided not to come.
Alex Zinchenko on Mykhailo Mudryk choosing Chelsea over Arsenal
Zinchenko said: “I told him, it’s gone already, it doesn’t matter what you wanted, what the other guys wanted.
“Now you’re a Chelsea player, you signed a long-term contract and you have only one option, only one way: direct and forward.’
‘Unfortunately he didn’t become an Arsenal player – as I wanted personally! – but it’s life.”
In the end, Arsenal got a Premier League proven player in Trossard, who has more experience and has hit the ground running.
In the short term, it looks like they absolutely made the right decision although that is not to say that Mudryk cannot come good in the future.
Chelsea have a scattergun approach to transfers and it is down to Graham Potter to turn them into a cohesive team in the weeks and months ahead.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are chasing down the title and are ready for the business end of the season, where they can focus on domestic matters after going out of the Europa League.