Arsenal's uphill battle to claim an illusive Premier League title took another hit over January as the club failed to make any major additions to a depleted first-team squad.
Mikel Arteta's side have been ravaged by injuries at various points this season, with star man Bukayo Saka the latest big name to spend a prolonged period on the sidelines following Martin Odegaard's lengthy layoff earlier in the campaign.
Kai Havertz's patchy form and Gabriel Jesus' recurring fitness issues have left the Gunners lacking in forward areas at key moments this season, an issue which was widely expected to be rectified in the transfer market last month.
Arsenal live to regret missing out on 'exciting' transfer target
However, no such move happened, with Arsenal opting not to move for an established striker despite links to some of the biggest names on the continent.
RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres were names heard throughout the window, although Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, ranked at no.10 in FourFourTwo's list of the best strikers in the world right now, appeared to top the shortlist as deadline day approached.
Amid rumours of an underwhelming bid as well as team mate Jhon Duran departing for Al Nassr in a big-money move, Watkins stayed put having been denied a self-confessed 'dream' move to his boyhood club.
According to The Athletic, Watkins was reportedly excited by a potential January switch, having impressed for Aston Villa during their remarkable rise in recent season, while important figures in North London were unanimously in favour of a move for the England international.
Arsenal's first and only bid for the striker came in at �40 million after slight concerns were raised surrounding his resale value, while the state of Aston Villa's PSR compliance for the season also remained highly speculated before Duran's departure.
The bid, unsurprisingly, fell way short of the mark as the Gunners failed to come in with an improved offer, in turn cementing their forward options for the remainder of the season devoid of any additions.
Just days later, Arsenal were dumped out of the Carabao Cup in a 4-0 aggregate defeat to Newcastle, a win orchestrated by the imperious Alexander Isak.
The irony was not lost on fans that an opposing striker had dealt a major blow to Arsenal's season after their own transfer failures, while hopes of rescuing anything from the campaign rely on success in either the Premier League or the Champions League, both of which look like mountains to climb at this stage.
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