Mikel Arteta reacts to Arsenal's quiet January transfer window

Mikel Arteta said he's been left "disappointed" after Arsenal failed to sign anybody in the January transfer window.

Now, it's worth noting that Arteta himself is probably a major factor as to why the Gunners didn't bring anyone in distinct positions of need before the deadline arrived on Monday night.

There were links to an array of forwards, but it became clear that the club weren't going to sign someone for the sake of it towards the end of the window. Moves for Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko were explored without success, and it seems like a deal for Mathys Tel, who wound up at Tottenham on Deadline Day, was never close to materialising.

Many expected the Gunners to add at least one forward to their attacking arsenal given the injuries sustained to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, but Arteta will instead have the same personnel at his disposal for the rest of 2024/25.

Good luck, Kai!

Mikel Arteta reacts to Arsenal's quiet January transfer window

The boss asserted throughout January his desire to bolster in attack given the dearth of options, suggesting he and the club were "actively" looking for signings. However, no moves materialised and Arsenal risk leaving themselves short in a campaign where they're still competing on multiple fronts.

Speaking on the club's lack of transfer activity ahead of Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Newcastle, Arteta said (via The Athletic): “We had a clear intention, which is always to explore the opportunities to improve the squad with players who can impact it.

“We haven’t achieved it, so we are disappointed in that sense. But we are aware that we only want to bring certain types of players. We have to be disciplined with that as well and I think that we were.”

The Spaniard insisted he wasn't frustrated at the lack of arrivals, but said "there are things to learn" from the recently closed window.

Quiet Januarys are hardly rare in these parts, with the Gunners failing to make a single move in both the 2022 and 2024 winter windows. Both seasons ended without the club achieving the goals they set out to achieve before the campaign, setting an ominous precedent for the rest of the way this term.

Time will only tell whether Arsenal are made to rue their January inactivity, and we can only hope Bukayo Saka hits the ground running after returning from a hamstring tear. The Gunners are playing with fire and piling the pressure on the summer window.

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