Assessing every move of Arsenal’s January transfer window

So, there it is. The January transfer window is in the books.

It was always going to be a rather hectic period for Arsenal given their position in the Premier League table. They had a massive opportunity to bolster their squad and set themselves up for a significant second half of the 2022/23 season. A title is at stake.

There were disappointments, sure, but the majority of supporters are content with the club’s business. Whether it’s enough to hold off Manchester City until May remains to be seen, but they’ve given themselves a good enough chance. The squad is undoubtedly deeper and stronger.

Arsenal’s 2023 January transfer window arrivals

Here’s an assessment of Arsenal’s three January signings.

Leandro Trossard (from Brighton – £27m)

A move for Shakhtar Donetsk hot-shot Mykahylo Mudryk appeared inevitable for much of the window, but Arsenal dithered in negotiations as the Ukrainian club refused to drift away from their hefty asking price.

The Gunners’ hesitance allowed Chelsea to swoop and the Blues quickly wrapped up a deal that could be worth £100m when it’s all said and done.

With the club desperately needing another attacker to bolster their impressive front line, an alternative was quickly sounded out in the form of Trossard. His desire to leave Brighton meant this was a relatively simple deal to pull off, and the Belgian has looked bright in his two Arsenal appearances thus far.

Given his profile and price, this was a savvy piece of business from the club, even if he wasn’t their number one target.

Grade: B+

Jakub Kiwior (from Spezia – £21m)

The deal for Kiwior came out of nowhere, much like the Fabio Vieira move last summer. Kiwior’s impressed in Serie A and will provide cover in a couple of positions for the remainder of the season.

I don’t expect him to play much in the coming weeks and months, but he adds depth to a rather thin left centre-back position.

Grade: B

Jorginho (from Chelsea – £12m)

A move that I initially loathed has grown on me. The Italian has signed a modest 18-month contract with the Gunners and is only here to take the burden off Thomas Partey.

With Elneny injured and Sambi Lokonga out on loan, Jorginho will have a big say down the stretch should the Ghanaian, God forbid, succumb to an injury. The Italian has shone in systems akin to Mikel Arteta’s in the past which hide his flaws and maximise his strengths.

All in all, this could be a sneaky good piece of business by the club.

Grade: B

Continued on the next slide…