If you've been on any of our Manchester United fan forums (be it Reddit, RedCafe or even our very own Tribuna.com), chances are you've come across this question.
Are we really turning into another lost club like Arsenal? Let's break down some facts:
Why are we at risk of turning into another Arsenal?
In life, ambition is always a good thing - even more so when you're in charge of one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
When you get too comfortable in one place - that's never ideal because you never move forward.
During Arsene Wenger's heydays, Arsenal were a force to reckon with and possibly our biggest rivals. Even Sir Alex Ferguson has often spoken about how the former Gunners' boss was his fiercest rival at the time.
Fast forward to now and Arsenal are a club in shambles - with poor management, uninterested owners, lack of investment towards the team and the stadium. It's become such that nobody even considers them a 'threat' anymore.
As far as United are concerned, that is certainly not the case. Arsenal have been 'rebuilding' for years and years but they've not even managed to break into the top-four over the last few seasons.
So what's different for United?
In comparison, the Red Devils have only moved forward since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge. We finished third last season and fought hard to finish second in 2020/21 - we could've even won the Premier League had we not slipped up in a few games but those things happen.
However, what people mean when they fear about us turning into 'another Arsenal' is probably our lack of silverware - and the feeling that Ole is somehow fine with it.
His recent comment about how 'trophies often hide facts' hasn't gone down well with a global fan base desperate to return to the glory days - and that's understandable.
However, when was the last time Arsenal came close to winning anything other than the FA Cup (no disrespect meant)? We've not won anything yet under Ole but we've come close numerous times and that signifies that we just need to keep trying harder.
As far as the lack of investment and the Glazers are concerned - yes, it's a major worry but the good news is our fans possibly outnumber those of any other club in the world.
And if we all raise our voices together, the Glazers have to make changes. It's either that or they get forced out of the club (which raises the question of who could actually spend billions to buy United but that's another headache for another day).
The bottom line is no matter how you look at it, we're not stagnant or going backwards - we are moving forward.
What do the numbers say?
Consider this - the Gunners haven't finished among the top four clubs in the Premier League in over three seasons!
In fact, the last time they finished in a Champions League spot was in 2015/16. That was the year that Leicester City won the title. Feels like a long time ago, doesn't it?
And if we compare the last two seasons with Mikel Arteta and Ole in charge of the two sides respectively, United finished way above Arsenal in both instances.
In 2019/20, we had 10 points more than them and this time, the gap has increased to 13. Arsenal are no longer finished among the top five or six either - they finished eighth in 2019/20 and that position did not change this time too.
In addition, look at their transfer business over the last few seasons - all they got excited about was Martin Odegaard and his loan deal. Their squad lacks passion - in contrast, the way our players reacted to the Europa League final defeat speaks volumes about how much it meant to them. And that's ALWAYS a good sign.
What should be next for United?
Winning a trophy has to be the next step and there is no other way about it.
It's not easy to go from being fifth and having a squad with holes to winning a trophy the very next season. Ole has done well to improve slowly but surely and there has been visible progress.
But going by the logic of sustainable progress, we've done the hard work and we've built a good squad. We've come agonisingly close to winning competitions - only to fall short because of some reason or the other.
It's these 'fine margins' that matter in the end. And Ole will have no excuse next season - he promised we'd win silverware in 2-3 years' time and we've progressed nearly to the summit as well.
The next step - naturally - is to win a trophy. And no, trophies do not hide facts but not winning trophies also speak a lot.
So... are we really going down Arsenal's path?
No, and yes.
In terms of performances and progress, the signs are good. The next season will be crucial for Ole and if we see the same mistakes again, he'll be under immense pressure.
However, the only way we could actually regress is because of the Glazers. Like Stan Kroenke, the Glazers have shown no interest in the club - aside from when it comes to taking huge dividends out.
The club is plunged in debt and our transfer business has turned into a joke. There's been optimism after Joel Glazer's recent call with the United fan forum but we need to ensure his promises actually happen and weren't just empty words.
If the fans unite and pressure the Glazers into doing better, these fears of turning into 'another Arsenal' need not be taken seriously.
