The beaming smile from Phillipe Coutinho during his unveiling at Barcelona faded quicker than expected. All the glitz and the glamour that greeted the tricky playmaker's arrival has since failed to mask the sheer disappointment from both parties.
The LaLiga giants splashed out a fee of £145million to sign him from Liverpool, a deal which smashed their club record. Coutinho was plunged into a world of uncertainty and a seemingly bleak future after struggling to settle. Neither side can claim the switch has worked out for them.
With Barcelona openly voicing their desire to cut their losses and ship out Coutinho this summer, it appeared Arsenal would be the club brave enough to take the plunge and broker a deal.