Arsenal: 4 winners of January transfer window

The January transfer window draws to a close for another year, the final opportunity Arsenal and the rest of the division had to strengthen their squads for the remainder of the campaign.

For most, it’s a chance gone begging.

While Arsenal have weakened their squad as far as depth goes – the core group that got the club into a top four race to begin with remains in tact – it crucially wasn’t added to. Particularly at centre-forward, where Arsenal are desperately thin.

Six senior players departed the club, the most notable of all being Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s deadline day departure to Barcelona on a free transfer, while the three signings the club made will have no impact on the first team between now and the end of the season.

Arsenal: 4 winners of January transfer window as Mikel Arteta and Edu sanction six departures including Aubameyang with no new signings

Lino Sousa signed a professional deal but will be part of Kevin Betsy’s Under-23 setup, while Matt Turner (not yet official) and Auston Trusty will remain will their respective MLS sides until the summer.

It is generally considered a curse to ‘win’ the transfer window. Arsenal were largely considered to have done so in the summer of 2019. And, in the most recent summer, the Gunners were lambasted for their business only for the six additions brought in to have made a undeniably positive impact on the team. Top four is a possibility due to the successes of those signings.

A very different story in January, Mikel Arteta made it clear that he wanted to strengthen across the window, with a midfielder and centre-forward high on his list of priorities, although he and the club failing to land any of his preferred targets.

But there are winners in all this. A smaller, tight-nit squad will see out the final 17 Premier League matches and, to some, it’s to their benefit.

1. Cedric Soares

One of the drawbacks of there being so much media coverage in the modern game is that we’ve lost the Sol Campbell-style transfer announcements. A small price to pay for greater insight, granted, but there was something special about a transfer being announced totally out of the blue.

A bit like Calum Chambers’ move to Aston Villa.

Nobody saw it coming, with no journalists covering either club aware of the deal, while even fans felt the move was highly unlikely to occur given Arsenal had already allowed Pablo Mari to leave on loan earlier in the window.

All the while, lurking in the background, is a smiling Cedric Soares.

There is no argument to make that either right-back is of the standard required to play for Arsenal. That much is clear whenever Takehiro Tomiyasu isn’t involved in the team. The drop off is glaring.

However, as a tactical fit, Chambers was more suited to cover in case of Tomiyasu being unavailable and, as a whole, was a more defensively sound option to Cedric. He was most peoples’ preferred second choice.

Having gone it means Cedric can fully own that mantle. Backup right-back is his slot for the remaining 17 matches at least and, given the worrying calf injury Tomiyasu is nursing, one that has prevented him from taking part in full training in Dubai and ruled him out on separate occasions this season, Cedric knows he’s in for minutes.

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2. Albert Sambi Lokonga

Arsenal pushed hard to sign Arthur from Juventus in January. He was the sole midfield target that the club wanted to acquire to complement their options in that department, with The Old Lady’s sporting director even meeting with Edu at London Colney to try and finalise a deal.

Edu succumbed to their demands of an 18-month loan deal, one the Arsenal hierarchy fortunately pulled the plug on it.

They didn’t go in for anyone else – including Bruno Guimaraes – to leave them with four central midfielders for the rest of the campaign. There are no doubts over who the starting pair are going forward.

If Arthur had been brought in it wouldn’t be too optimistic to imagine he’d have filled the third choice slot. Arsenal were willing to cover his full salary for the remainder of the season and, while Albert Sambi Lokonga was a summer investment with an eye on the future, Arthur would have been a short-term fix with an eye on short-term gain.

The entire Arsenal world is crossing all its fingers and toes that Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey can stay injury (and suspension) free through to May, but in the case of any absence or just as a late substitution, Sambi can sit in confidence knowing he’s next in line to feature.

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3. Nicolas Pepe

Quietly meandering through the January window chaos was Nicolas Pepe, who has not started a Premier League game for Arsenal in over three and a half months. It’s unlikely he’ll end that run against Wolves next up.

If all goes well between that game and Everton on the final day of the season, Pepe will barely feature. In an ideal world Bukayo Saka will be injury free and capable of playing every minute of the Premier League season until the end.

That is highly unlikely to happen. Above all, though, heading into the final stretch of the campaign with two strikers who’ve scored just three goals between them in the division so far means that goals will have to arrive from elsewhere. For all his numerous faults, and even on the occasions where he breaks down attacks for 89 minutes of a game, Pepe still provides goal threat.

Whether it is an assist or a neat finish into the bottom corner, he does contribute in the final third and that skill of his will have to be incorporated across these 17 matches to make up for the lack of that ability at No. 9.

If the game is tight after 70 or so minutes, looking to the bench for someone who can pop up with a golden moment leaves eyes fixated on Pepe. Nketiah is not an impact substitute. Pepe can be, and he will have to be now there is so little depth in forward areas.

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4. Amazon

You can picture the scene: Edu paces nervously around his London Colney office, empty Chinese takeaways boxes strew across his desk with an increasingly stuffed ashtray full of cigar ends smoking out the room.

The drama of Aubameyang’s departure to Barcelona, one that ebbed and flowed with the deal on the brink of collapse at one stage, will make for a dramatic episode in this hotly anticipated series.

What will Edu and Arteta’s reactions be to seeing images of Aubameyang landing in El Prat airport on a flight the club didn’t know he was taking? When the deal did look like it would break down over salary negotiations the club asked him to fly back to the UK. Did Edu make that call?

Perhaps there will also be some insight into who Arsenal did try to bring in, if anyone at all. It was made clear that signings were desired, and some frustrated phone calls between owners, technical director and manager may be on show for all our glorious viewing.

The wealth of players who left the club caused for dramatic reactions across the fanbase, thus seeing those unfold internally will just add to the spectacle that will be Arsenal: All or Nothing.

Just when you think this documentary can’t get any spicier something new crops up. Amazon continue to win, week upon week.