So, after all the waiting, was it worth it? The news that Arsenal were preparing a bid for Andrei Arshavin first emerged in the final week of December, yet he was confirmed as an Arsenal player only on Tuesday after protracted negotiations and enough implausible plot twists to fuel six months of a Brazilian soap opera.

On Monday, Sky Sports News felt almost like self-satire, as snow fell over north London, over the Hertfordshire hotel where the Russian had spent the night, and over the Emirates Stadium, from which concrete news was steadfastly unforthcoming.