Arsenal miss bargain £29.8m deadline day trick that has left Mikel Arteta and Edu empty-handed

With the January transfer window now closed, it provides us with the opportunity to reflect on what has happened over the last few weeks.

Six first-team Arsenal players departed including former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is on the verge of being unveiled at Barcelona. Ainsley Maitland-Niles joined AS Roma on loan until the end of the season whilst Calum Chambers was sold to Premier League rival Aston Villa.

Despite plenty of space being created for some incomings, the club was unsuccessful in its attempts to strengthen Mikel Arteta's side.

This has understandably left the majority of the Arsenal fans incredibly unhappy, including us at The Arsenal Way.

Here's what we made of the month that won't be remembered in a hurry...

There was an inevitability about this window that means whilst I find myself sitting here disappointed, it isn’t attached to any emotion resembling shock. It is more expectation that another transfer window concludes with the necessities not being addressed.

When a team enters the transfer period looking to try and further their ambitions and end the same window with the squad looking in worse shape, something must have gone seriously wrong.

Furthermore, questions rightly should be asked as to what has been happening behind the scenes and why players who would have improved the squad moved elsewhere.

Arthur Cabral, Denis Zakaria, Wout Weghorst and the list goes on. Players who would upgrade on existing options and moved for accessible transfer fees - £29.8 million combined according to various reports.

It staggers me after what was such an encouraging summer window. As a fan, because that is what I am, I should not be in any position where I believe I would have made better decisions than