Porto, Hull and Wolves. Nicklas Bendtner might still not be everybody’s cup of tea but no one could deny he has been absolutely crucial to sustaining Arsenal’s tilt at glory. Bendtner is a fitting symbol for this side. So often criticised for lacking the application and determination to match his talent, he has shown indefatigability and fight in abundance as the season goes to the wire. Whatever happens between now and mid-May, the Arsenal will be as remembered for their graft as their craft, and Bendtner will have gone a long way to proving the myriad doubters wrong.

It is very obvious where the doubts have come from. A level of arrogance that beggared belief backed up with Sunday League finishing was hardly a recipe for hero-worship. Even now he can be guilty of terrible profligacy. That being said, there was absolutely no excuse for the reception he received at times last year from the ugly side of our fanbase.

Though he made noises about being first team material at 18, and his attitude really did him no favours, we shouldn’t have been judging him along the same lines as bona fide Premier League centre forwards. Like a centre back, it’s a position that takes time to develop into. Take arguably the world’s finest exponent of the art: Didier Drogba. At 22, he was midway through a four year spell at Ligue 2 Le Mans, where he scored 12 goals in 64 appearances. It was only after he hit his mid-20s that he made the progression to world beater. I am not in any way saying that we should expect Bendtner to rise to those heights, or that Drogba was surrounded by such talent, but if you compare their career paths, you would be tempted to say Bendtner is ahead (19 goals in 78 appearances and 11 in 42 at Birmingham). Who knows, maybe he will plateau, but he can conceivably go on to be an outstanding player.

Will it be at Arsenal that he flourishes though? With Van Persie and, quite possibly, Marouane Chamakh due to come into the squad, will Bendtner be happy with being third on the ladder? Will Wenger be able to keep him happy and developing or will he view it as an ideal time to cash in? With a successful season under his belt, reports of widespread interest from around Europe, and a coming year where he might see his opportunities limited perhaps his stock is as high as it will get for some time.

Personally I don’t think it will come to that. Van Persie’s fragility, Eduardo’s saddening decline and, hypothetically, Chamakh’s inexperience in England would make his absence a major risk, and the steps he has made hint at even further development. Hopefully it turns out that way. Not only because it would be good for the club but because he is a player that winds so many people up. He might be startlingly arrogant and he might wear pink boots, but he is ours, and I for one hope it remains that way for some time to come.