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Arsenal did not make a single signing in the January transfer window and while this current squad is filled with talent, the failure to act in the market will have a significant impact on their ambitions for the remainder of the season.
The majority of the fanbase were arguing that the club needed to sign a striker in the winter window, even if that meant breaking the bank, but no real attempts were made to fulfil that. Yes, there was that rumoured contact with RB Leipzig for Benjamin Sesko and the bid for OIlie Watkins but nothing came of either.
There was also a desperate need for overall attacking reinforcement, with Bukayo Saka still out and a number of key players also battling injury. Likewise, however, no genuine action was taken to deal with that issue.
Arsenal's failure to make any additions to the squad may well come back to bite them, just as it has done in previous seasons.
Why Arsenal's poor transfer window will do no good for their ambitions
As good as this Arsenal team is, there have been too many games this season where they have looked incapable of scoring a goal, and that is why the desperation for a striker emerged once again. While the title race is far from over, the lack of a clinical goalscorer means the Gunners risk turning projected wins into draws.
Too many dropped points will see them fail to set out their objectives again.
In the 2021/22 season, the club's main goal was to qualify for the Champions League. After an up-and-down start to the campaign, Mikel Arteta's side were in a position to beat Tottenham to a top-four spot but were pipped to the post by Antonio Conte's Lilywhites. A major factor in that was the negligence shown in the January transfer window when most fans were calling for a striker to be signed.
The club failed to persuade Dusan Vlahovic to join from Fiorentina and lost Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang to Barcelona. Instead of acquiring an alternative, Arteta relied upon Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah to lead the line for the remainder of the season. Despite a decent run of form from the latter, Arsenal's risk did not pay off.
The Gunners failed to score in five of their 17 league games after the closure of the window and didn't qualify for Europe's elite competition as a result. Lacazette scored just once in that period while Nketiah netted five. The club's insistence on relying on their current stock instead of signing a newcomer played a major part in not being able to achieve their priority aim.
Arsenal found themselves in a similar position as they headed into the second half of the 2023/24 season. A poor run of form in front of goal prior to the new calendar year prompted fans to call for a striker to be signed but once again, the club insisted on trusting the current options.
Granted, they went so close to winning the league, finishing two points off Manchester City. Arsenal's run-in was so nearly perfect, losing just once in the second half of the season - a 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa. That loss highlighted just how badly the side needed a striker, however. In a scrappy game where the Gunners just couldn't take their first-half chances, the failure to score from a 1.87 xG demonstrated how important a clinical finisher could've been.
The defeat to Villa ultimately cost Arsenal the title but you can't help but think with a deadly goalscorer up top, it could've been so different.
Circumstances on the injury front have also left Kai Havertz as the only fit centre forward at the club. Arsenal players seem to be dropping like flies at the moment due to how much is being asked of them, with Gabriel Martinelli the latest to fall victim. Given the strains thrust upon the squad this term and the lack of winter investment, it's a huge ask for the latest iteration of the Gunners to end their Premier League title drought.
The January window presented the Gunners with a perfect chance to learn from their mistakes and go out and sign the striker they so desperately need. However, they didn't do that.
Both windows where they haven't acted and brought in what is required have seen the club fail to achieve their ultimate goal, and it looks like that may be the case once again. Never say never, but with Arsenal struggling to find consistency in front of goal this season and their attack withstanding serious amounts of game time, their failure to act in the transfer window will do no good for their ambitions.