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Of course, this year things got going before the season even ended, with Quincy brawling in the street outside the PFA awards. Now we have Cole threatening never to play for Arsenal again, Ljungberg unhappy with the club's commitment to Champions League football, and contract negotiations with Pires at stalling point.
Why, oh why, do we carry on reading this stuff?
After last season's Vieira fiasco, we should be immunised against the inflated claims, mad murmurings and downright lies of the tabloid press. But we're not.
Between mid-May and early August, if you see the name Henry it can only mean one thing: someone, somewhere is arguing that God's right foot (and left, for that matter) is about to leave Highbury. It happened again this week, when Sky Sports published a story under the seemingly unequivocal headline, ‘Real Tipped to Land Henry'.
Only when you read the full article do you discover that there's a very big IF… ex-vice president of Barcelona, Sandro Rossell (who he?) is simply suggesting that "Real are the club Henry will join - should he leave Arsenal."
Ah good, you think to yourself, I knew it wasn't true. It's just another story based on thin air. So why, pray tell me, is your heart thumping faster than Mike Tyson at a KKK convention?
Because you like media speculation. In particular, you like transfer talk.
And why do you like it? Because you've been spoilt rotten over the past eight seasons, thanks largely to the efforts of Arsene Wenger.
For every "Arsenal star to leave" story, there will be two "Arsenal in talks with…" stories. Even if you've never heard of the guy we're supposed to be buying – and, with Arsene's talent spotting skills, that's often the case – your pulse will quicken.
Building an Arsenal team isn't simply about money. We don't have the roubles to buy up every player who's ever kicked a ball for his country. So we see names like Kamil Contofalsky, Giorgos Samaras and Jack Hobbs, and we get excited. They just might sign. And which, we wonder, will be the next big thing? The next Thierry Henry? The next Kolo Toure? The next Cesc Fabregas?
Let's not forget that Chelsea aren't the only team to have bought their way to success. Manchester United may have nurtured a talented group of home-grown players, but without the cash to bail out his more disastrous signings (Veron going to Chelsea? Now that did make me smile!), Ferguson would have struggled to build such a competitive team. And Malcolm Glazer is not, it would seem, in a hurry to get out his wallet and dip into the transfer market.
Take away the cash, and both Chelsea and Man U will fail. Not so Arsenal.
The Emirates Stadium is past half-way. Arsene Wenger is the greatest manager the club has ever seen. We have a lovely new redcurrant shirt with matching wristbands. And when the dust settles, the transfer merry-go-round will leave the team stronger than before.
That should be more than enough to keep you going, through what could prove to be the longest closed season in history.