Arsenal Women had a quiet window, adding only one player permanently in Smilla Holmberg, who has already been a huge success in the squad, while the majority of the work was done through loans in and out.
A senior player was added on loan on deadline day. Goalkeeper Barbora Votikova was brought in from Slavia Prague to cover for the injured Daphne van Domselaar and Anneke Borbe, while Manuela Zinsberger is out for the season with an ACL injury.
It is quite extraordinary to have three senior goalkeepers either injured or carrying niggling issues that prevent them from being fully fit.
In that context, recalling Naomi Williams from her Bristol loan and bringing in another senior goalkeeper on loan made sense, especially given that at one point earlier this season Arsenal came very close to naming 17-year-old Amy Liddiard on the bench for a match at Meadow Park.
Arsenal sent a senior player out on loan in Jenna Nighswonger after she was not given any game time, and it is fair to question why she was recruited in the first place. She could cover at left-back and in central midfield but was not used, and it was the right decision to send her on loan with an option to buy.
Then there is the curious case of a number of young players being recalled from loans that were originally intended to last the full season.
Cecily Wellesley-Smith was recalled from Leicester and sent to Rosengard in Sweden after failing to receive sufficient playing time.
Jessie Gale was recalled from Portsmouth, where she was doing well and getting regular minutes. She has since been sent to Bristol City, who are chasing automatic promotion, and she has already made an impact there, scoring a recent brace.
Laila Harbert had a planned half-season loan in the United States with Portland Thorns, where she grew both as a player and as a person, and has now moved to Everton until the end of the season. Hopefully, a change of manager will not prevent her from getting game time, allowing her to return ready to compete for a first-team place next season.
Niamh Peacock has been recalled from Watford and has become the first player to sign an Academy Development Registration contract in WSL 2, after joining Portsmouth until the end of the season.
Vivienne Lia was recalled from Nottingham Forest after limited playing time, while Maddie Earl was recalled from Ipswich Town following a lack of minutes and injury problems. Unless they find loans abroad, which remains possible given that a number of leagues still have open windows, they are likely to bolster a first-team group that continues to struggle with injuries.
What is surprising is that the club did not anticipate the scale of the exodus expected in the summer, with so many players out of contract. Allowing an extra six months for new arrivals to adapt to the club and the league could have been useful, as the coming months point towards a major rebuild and potentially a transitional season, unless the club opts to hand out multiple contract extensions.
Next summer will be make or break if the incoming players do not have sufficient quality. Some of the names already mentioned, such as Stanway and Battle, appear strong additions, but questions remain over the rest.