Why Arsenal fans should be happy with the January transfer window

The January transfer window slammed shut on Tuesday night after what’s been a busy month at London Colney.

It’s been an up-and-down window, as January usually is, as it’s hard to find the transfer bargains that Arsenal love to secure during the summer window. This resulted in the Gunners getting caught up in multiple sagas throughout the month, the first being the race for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk.

Why Arsenal fans should be happy with the January transfer window

The Ukrainian club had a very steep price for their young winger that, ultimately, Arsenal were unwilling to pay. The club deserve respect for showing their resolve, but it did allow Chelsea to swoop.

After missing out on Mudryk, Arsenal quickly pivoted to Leandro Trossard from Brighton. The 28-year-old has made an impact immediately, helping push for the win against Manchester United and looking very good in his start against Manchester City. A Premier League-proven talent, Trossard is a player perfect for Arsenal’s title challenge and a welcome addition to the squad at a quarter of the price that Mudryk went to Chelsea for.

Arsenal’s second signing of the window came out of nowhere. 22-year-old Polish defender Jakob Kiwior looks to be a shrewd signing by the Gunners. He was a versatile player during his time at Spezia, playing as a left centre-back, left-back, and defensive midfielder. He is yet to make his debut for the club but is set to provide cover and competition for Gabriel as a left-footed centre-back. Gabriel currently has the most minutes of any player in the squad, so it’s great that the club finally has a proper backup for the Brazilian.

Following an injury to Mohamed Elneny, Arsenal had to dive back into the transfer market in search of a midfielder. The top target was deemed to be Brighton’s Moisés Caicedo, but the south coast club was determined not to sell the Ecuadorian midfielder.

Despite bids upwards of £70m, Brighton refused to play ball, leading Arsenal to make a deadline day deal with Chelsea for Jorginho. I was not a fan of this move when rumours first materialised, but I’ve come around to it. It’s only an 18-month contract, a £10m fee with potential add-ons; that’s a pretty easy pill to swallow with good cover for the midfield as Arsenal head into the second half of the season.

As well as incomings, some players have also gone out on loan for the rest of the season. Marquinhos and Sambi Lokonga have joined Norwich and Crystal Palace respectively. I love these moves as both players will be able to get the game time they rightfully deserve that’ll aid their development.

Norwich are fighting for promotion in the Championship; it’ll be a high-intensity environment that, hopefully, Marquinhos can thrive in. Sambi needs to play, and Palace is a place where he can do that in the Premier League under an all-time Arsenal great in Patrick Vieira.

I’m hyped to watch both of them get chances to shine the rest of the year.

I think it’s fair for some fans to be disappointed about things in this window But overall, it’s a success. We’ve successfully loaded up for the rest of the season, and I, for one, cannot wait to see how it plays out.