Will Arsenal repeat a transfer window disaster?

As Monday’s deadline draws nearer for Arsenal panic is beginning to set in. The club have yet to sign anyone, despite allowing five senior members of the squad to depart.

Well, not exactly. A deal is in place to sign New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner. The American has enjoyed a remarkable rise from college football, to MLS, to USMNT number one, and now on to Arsenal.

It’s a move that will signal the end of Bernd Leno’s time in north London as the 27-year-old will come in to act as Aaron Ramsdale’ understudy.

While it isn’t quite the same as the summer window of 2015/16 given that Turner isn’t going to join the club until the summer, there are growing echoes of that infamous window where Arsenal threw away a glorious opening to win the Premier League.

Will Arsenal repeat their transfer window disaster of 2015/16 by only signing a goalkeeper and missing out on their Premier League targets?

Indeed, that summer was one of outstanding regret. The only notable signing they made was for one Petr Cech. The stars had aligned that season with all the title favourites enduring dreadful campaigns at points of real weakness, allowing Leicester to magically win the division. They fully deserved it, but it will forever constitute an opportunity lost for Arsenal.

But a couple of more key additions and the Premier League could have been theirs. Arsene Wenger could have ended a barren run without league silverware.

There are parallels to draw to the current window, albeit the circumstances distinctly less glamorous: Arsenal only appear to be landing a goalkeeper this window when a few more vital additions could be the difference between a top four place and the Europa League, or worse.

The summer of 2015 was an unmitigated disaster. The fear is that January 2022 could follow suit.

However, if Arsenal were to sign nobody in this window we won’t know whether it is a disaster or not at this stage. A core of around 14/15 players may well see the club through the remaining 17 matches and into the top four positions. It also might not.

Were injury to strike and Arsenal drop points at home to Brentford having been forced to play Rob Holding at left centre-back and Eddie Nketiah at centre-forward, then the lack of depth will become a pertinent matter.

Come May if the Gunners have missed out on a return to the Champions League and all the accompanying benefits by a couple of measly points on account of stretching the squad, then the tag of ‘missed opportunity’ will ring true once more.