The January transfer window has now closed and Arsenal didn’t sign anyone. This is quite disappointing to most Arsenal fans, especially after an uneven season. However, it is important to properly assess this transfer window and explore the reasons for Arsenal’s lack of activity. Doing so will help make it clear whether or not the Gunners made a serious mistake by not signing anyone in January. Without further ado, let’s begin assessing Arsenal’s January window and seeing if the lack of activity was the correct decision or not.
Assessing Arsenal’s January Window: Mikel Arteta Wanted Signings
Any time a big club fails to make January signings under such circumstances, many blame the club’s manager. However, it is unfair to blame Mikel Arteta for Arsenal’s lack of signings in the January transfer window. Arteta clearly wanted signings and was nearly begging the club to make signings for several weeks.
Arteta understands that Arsenal needed attacking reinforcements in January. This was even clearer after Gabriel Jesus’s injury. This discussion about who to blame for the lack of signings is fair. Despite this, it doesn’t make sense to place the blame on Mikel Arteta. Fans are right to be upset about the lack of activity, but Arteta is not at fault for this.
Jason Ayto Deserves Plenty of Blame
If anyone deserves the majority of blame for the Gunners’ lack of signings in January, it’s Arsenal’s interim sporting director. Jason Ayto is the club’s interim sporting director and as such is the primary decision-maker in terms of transfers. Ayto either felt that the club didn’t need signings or was unable to complete signings.
In either case, Ayto deserves quite a bit of blame for Arsenal’s lack of activity. The club is reportedly considering who to appoint as its permanent sporting director. It should not be Jason Ayto, nor should Ayto even be in serious consideration for the role.
Assessing Arsenal’s January Window: Arsenal Didn’t Expect More Injuries
It is also clear that the Gunners somehow didn’t expect more injuries, given the relative lack of fixture congestion for a while. However, this isn’t a viable justification for the lack of activity in the January transfer window. It was obvious before the window opened that the squad was too thin.
Arteta talked about playing various players as center-forwards when necessary after the window closed. This makes sense on paper. Despite this, the club clearly didn’t expect more major injuries. As a result, they felt justified in not doing much of anything in the January window. This has already proven to be a mistake. Gabriel Martinelli is part of the heart and soul of the team, as shown by this photo. Unfortunately, he has picked up an injury and now Arsenal’s attacking options are even more limited.
The Arsenal Board May Have Given Up on the Season
Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal players obviously have not given up on the season. The Gunners are second in the Premier League and finished third in the Champions League league phase. However, this might not be the case for the Arsenal board.
The lack of activity may indicate that the Arsenal board have already written off this season and are looking to the summer window to improve the team for next season. This mindset is frustrating and frankly unacceptable, but it may very well be the case. Arsenal still have plenty to play for this season. Most fans, Arteta, and the players clearly feel that way.
Despite this, the Arsenal board holds more power, specifically when it comes to signings. Perhaps they feel that January signings would have been a waste of money. In any case, this is an unfortunate mindset for the board to have and it will cost the club.
Assessing Arsenal’s January Window: No Permanent Sporting Director Hurt the Club
It is also fair to say that the timing of the January transfer window was poor for Arsenal. The Gunners did not have a permanent sporting director when the window opened and this clearly hurt them. Jason Ayto doesn’t have much experience in this sort of role and it showed.
Edu’s departure from Arsenal caught the club off-guard. As a result, the club was not in a good position to make the right transfers in the January transfer window. It will be good when the club appoints a permanent sporting director and doesn’t have to deal with similar situations in the future.
Arsenal Waited Too Long to Do Anything
Another part of assessing Arsenal’s January transfer window has to be evaluating their use of the time they had. There were no reliable reports about Arsenal doing much until the last week or so of the January transfer window. This is simply unacceptable and set the club up for failure.
If the club had taken action sooner, they might have been able to complete some signings. As it stands, they waited too long and weren’t unable to do anything.
The Club Wanted to Avoid Overpaying for Players
There are many negatives to take away from Arsenal’s lack of activity in the January transfer window, as discussed. However, there is one positive that can help explain what happened. The club did not want to overpay for their January transfer targets and doing so would have likely caused the club issues in the future.
Ollie Watkins is a perfect example of this. Watkins is a good player and he is enjoying a good season so far. However, the asking price for him from Aston Villa was too high. Reports indicate that Villa wanted in excess of 80 million pounds for Watkins.
Given Watkins’ quality and the fact that he is already 29, paying this amount would not have been good business for Arsenal. The Gunners did need attacking reinforcements in January, but overpaying for Ollie Watkins wasn’t the solution. Perhaps the club can revisit that transfer in the summer if they see fit.
Arsenal’s January Window Was a Failure
Not signing anyone in January means the transfer window as a failure for Arsenal. The club now has to rely on players who have already played many games and hope they don’t suffer further injury concerns. This is a recipe for disaster. We will see how it plays out, but it is difficult to justify Arsenal’s lack of activity in January.