A fortnight has now passed since Arsenal’s January transfer window slammed shut without a significant arrival.
The Gunners failed to secure moves for any of their preferred targets before the window closed, with players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Pablo Mari and others waving goodbye to the Emirates Stadium the only business conducted.
It was not for a lack of trying though, with Edu and Mikel Arteta keen to welcome a number of new faces to the club.
Of course, none of those switches came to fruition and with the dust now settled on the market, football.london has taken a look at the brilliant line-up that the Gunners could have fielded should a selection of those deals had been successfully signed-off.
Defence
Heading into the winter window, the Gunners’ defence was potentially the department that needed the least amount of investment.
Only three sides in the Premier League - Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool - can boast a better defence than Arteta’s men this season and that is down to a number of impressive performances from the club’s summer signings.
Aaron Ramsdale has caught the eye after arriving from Sheffield United, whilst Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu appear to have slotted in seamlessly.
Their impressive debut campaigns have been backed-up by stand-out seasons from Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Magalhaes - the five assembling an extremely impressive and cohesive unit between them.
Midfield
Despite Granit Xhaka having made his decision to stay at Arsenal last summer, there is still a dire need for the Gunners to find a replacement for the Swiss to partner Thomas Partey in the heart of midfield.
A number of names have been mentioned including Arthur Melo but one candidate that supporters were frustrated to have missed out on is that of Bruno Guimaraes.
The Brazilian was strongly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium throughout his time with Lyon and did end up sealing a switch to the Premier League but it was instead with Newcastle United.
Guimaraes is yet to start a game for the Magpies but will surely prove to be a fantastic addition as they aim to steer themselves away from the relegation zone.
Another summer signing will be deployed slightly further forwards in the form of Martin Odegaard - the Norwegian having been preferred to start by Arteta throughout the current campaign.
Attack
Most will certainly now know that it is Arsenal’s attack that needs the most investment following the departure of Aubameyang.
A number of names were of course linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium - none least being that of Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbian caught the eye with his stunning performances for Fiorentina and was a player that was closely admired by the Gunners.
However, the north Londoners lost out to Juventus. That decision has certainly come off for the Old Lady, with Vlahovic having scored on his debut.
He might well have been leading the line for the Gunners alongside Mauro Icardi. The Athletic have revealed that the Argentine was offered to Arsenal in the January transfer window, only for the club not to pursue his signature.
The pair would likely have been supported by Bukayo Saka should they have completed a move to the Emirates Stadium - the Hale End academy graduate currently enjoying a highly productive campaign.
