Arsenal made a ‘late attempt’ to move for Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams during the transfer window, but chose not to pursue a deal yet. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was clear in his desire to sign a striker during the winter transfer window, with a season-ending injury to Gabriel Jesus making his need for a centre-forward more dire than ever. Many fans thought Arsenal needed a new forward before the Brazilian suffered a serious knee issue, with Kai Havertz not always convincing as a central striker.

Arteta was consistent in saying that the club were looking for an appropriate option in the transfer market, but would not sign a player that was not good enough to improve the first team. The January transfer market is notoriously difficult to find such a player for elite clubs, with clubs demanding enormous fees as they do not want to lose their best players mid-season. Arsenal have long been linked with the likes of Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, but neither were available or affordable.

A bid was also made for England striker Ollie Watkins but Aston Villa turned it down. The Independent report that the Gunners also looked into a late move for Spain superstar Williams, but a deal was not possible in the winter window. The report states that Arteta is keen to strengthen his squad in three key areas: a midfielder, a wide forward and a physical striker. However, Arsenal chose to keep their powder dry and wait till the summer for what could be a significant transfer window for them.

The extremely quiet transfer window for Arsenal passed without them making a single signing, so Arteta will have to make do with what he has had all season. On the club’s lack of activity, Arteta said: ‘We had a clear intention, there is a window open to explore opportunities to improve our squad with players that can impact it. ‘We haven’t achieved it, so we are disappointed in that sense, but we are also very aware that we only want to bring in certain kind of players and we have to be very disciplined with that as well and I think that we were.’.

Jesus is out for the rest of the campaign while Bukayo Saka is still expected to be sidelined until the start of April. Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are much closer to making their returns from injury, expected back in the next couple of weeks. Arrow MORE: Jose Fonte slams Chelsea for transfer mistake over ‘the next Didier Drogba’. Arrow MORE: John Obi Mikel says Chelsea made two big transfer mistakes in January.