Arsenal has lost its aura since Arsene Wenger left in 2018.
That is the view of Amaury Bischoff, who spent the 2008-09 season in north London - making four appearances for the Gunners in all competitions.
Wenger signed Bischoff from Werder Bremen, but injuries limited his game time at the Emirates Stadium and he left having only featured in one Premier League game.
But the midfielder has no regrets about the move having grown up as a child dreaming of playing for Arsenal and following in the footsteps of some of the great players who starred under Wenger.
Bischoff, now playing his football with Bahlinger in Germany, remains a fan of the Gunners and still watches every game when he can.
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But the 32-year-old, who was born in France but represented Portugal at Under-21s level, says the things now feel very different without Wenger at the helm.
“Of course I still follow Arsenal,” Bischoff told Goal in an exclusive interview.
“Every week I watch Arsenal and see how they do. But now [under Unai Emery] is not like it was 10 years ago. For me, Arsenal without Wenger is not the same.
“Arsenal without Wenger is not Arsenal.”
A poor start to the season has seen pressure build on Emery, with his side sitting sixth in the Premier League - eight points adrift of the top four.
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Defeat at Leicester prior to the international break made it five games without a win in all competitions and prompted head of football Raul Sanllehi and managing director Vinai Venkatesham to issue a public vote of confidence for the under-fire head coach.
“We are as disappointed as everyone else with both our results and performances at this stage of the season,” they said. “We share the frustration with our fans, Unai, players and all our staff as they are not at the level we want or expect.
“Things need to improve to meet our objectives for the season, and we firmly believe Unai is the right man for the job, together with the backroom team we have in place.”
Having watched from afar in recent years, Bischoff admits he can understand why Arsenal did decide to move on from Wenger following the difficulties he endured during his final years in charge.
But the midfielder says the Frenchman’s departure after 21 years and Emery’s arrival means the club does not have the same stature across Europe anymore.
“It’s a very different time now,” he said.
“It’s not the big Arsenal like it was when I was there. I can understand why Arsenal made a change with the manager, but for me it doesn’t stay the Arsenal I knew without Wenger.”