On Monday morning, Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger faced the press and admitted he was surprised the transfer window had been so quiet.
Monday is, of course, deadline day and very little business has been done by the top clubs in the Premier League and around Europe. The Gunners clinched the signing of Mohamed Elneny this month, but Wenger said he would have been open to another transfer.
Wenger talking about the transfer window in past tense: “If possible, I would have been open to one more but there is a rarity of players.”
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) February 1, 2016
Unfortunately, with the market so quiet, little business is being done and there’s no knock-on effect. That means that deals like Lionel Messi to Arsenal aren’t a possibility, though the manager hasn’t given up hope yet.
Wenger on likelihood of further transfers: “99pc no. If Messi knocks on my door at 5.50pm I will not say ‘please go back to Barcelona’.”
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) February 1, 2016
With the Gunners facing Barcelona in the next round of the Champions League, that would be even more of a coup than usual. However, Messi won’t be available and Arsenal won’t do any business.
A quiet window hasn’t necessarily been a bad one for us, with Elneny coming in and looking good during his debut on Saturday. The Egyptian adds some depth and versatility to a midfield which struggled over the Christmas period. Another deal likely would have been for a more offensive player, but Danny Welbeck’s imminent return offsets the disappointment that we couldn’t find anyone.
With our Premier League rivals keeping their powder pretty dry, we haven’t lost much ground and there’s no real evidence that anyone who could improve us would have been available anyway.