At the start of the transfer window, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta promised that his side would be active in the transfer market.
Few of the club’s supporters would have imagined that translating to a thinning out of the squad, and no new additions in the key areas of midfield or striker, either on loan or permanently.
Instead, the only signings have been an American goalkeeper and defender, both of whom will remain on loan with their parent clubs until the summer.
When Mikel Arteta was pictured meeting with owner Stan Kroenke before an NHL hockey game, it was widely assumed they were discussing transfer business, but, in retrospect, the Spaniard may have been given instructions to trim the wage bill at the Emirates even further.
And, for all the Kroenkes’ stated ambitions for the club, there will be serious questions asked if the team misses out on European football again because there was no investment in the squad in January.
