Arsenal: Mikel Arteta 'disappointed' by quiet transfer window but praises club's 'discipline'

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed his disappointment at the club's failure to sign any new players during the winter transfer window, while also praising the club's discipline.

Previously, it was widely expected that Arsenal would bring in an attacker in the winter, as Gabriel Jesus suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury last month, and Bukayo Saka has yet to recover from a hamstring problem. Ahead of Arsenal's League Cup semi-final second leg match against Newcastle, Arteta stated that the club always had a clear intention to explore opportunities to bring in players who could improve the team's strength when the transfer window opened.

Arteta added that the team was affected by injuries and failed to achieve what they wanted. In that respect, they are disappointed, but they are also very clear that the club only wants to bring in specific types of players, and they must maintain a high degree of discipline in this regard. He believes the club has done that. He emphasized that the team is looking for players who can significantly improve the team's strength and must also adhere to established financial principles, on the basis of which they seek progress.

Prior to Arteta's press conference, football finance expert Kieran Maguire explained in an interview with BBC Sport that Arsenal's lack of signings was due to a difficult buyer's market environment. Maguire pointed out that there were relatively few players available in the market they were focusing on. Due to the extended schedules of the Champions League and Europa League, clubs are reluctant to sell players. Therefore, if Arsenal wants to make signings, they must enter a very scarce market. He speculated that Arsenal may not have believed that there were any players who could improve the team's starting lineup or regular 16-man squad.

Arteta stated that Arsenal's frontline must remain "flexible" due to injury problems, and he may need to "try some different things." During the winter transfer window, three players left Arsenal: 17-year-old defender Ayden Heaven joined Manchester United, 20-year-old defender Josh Robinson joined Wigan Athletic, and Brazilian attacker Marquinhos joined Cruzeiro on loan until the end of the season.

Following their 5-1 victory over Manchester City on Sunday, Arsenal are currently second in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Liverpool, but with one game in hand.