Unrest was growing around the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal were struggling to compete at the top-end of the Premier League table and doubts surrounded the ability of Arsene Wenger to re-energise the club.
Sound familiar? It is a scene that has played out for much of the last decade at the north London club.
In December 2012 the Frenchman thought he had found the answer. In a picture widely circulated at the time, he stood beaming behind a quintet of talent he hoped would define the club's future.
They were known as 'the British core', with each of the five penning a new long-term deal to tie down their best years to Arsenal.