January 2022 Premier League transfer window: the losers

Arsenal and West Ham are not bothered about the Champions League and Jesse Lingard versus Manchester United situation is just disappointing.

Don’t forget the winners of the 2022 January transfer window.

Arsenal

The five departures that were sanctioned by that point were all individually justifiable. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac, Pablo Mari and Folarin Balogun started eight combined Premier League games this season, and only one since August between them, while none have featured at all in the league beyond November. Letting Maitland-Niles go did raise a cursory eyebrow but squad depth is less of a pressing matter for a club out of European competition and both domestic cups. Arsenal know they have 17 games – no more, no less – to play in the next 15 weeks and can cut their cloth accordingly and precisely.

It invited criticism and did leave them susceptible to even one injury or suspension, even if that ruthlessness, clarity and vision was something to be admired from a club that has failed to make the cutthroat decisions in years gone by.

Then the Aubameyang situation was resurrected and those explanations justifiably fell on deaf ears: Arsenal invested heavily, more so than any other club in Europe, just a few months ago; their loan history is hardly a ringing endorsement of that particular market; not buying is better than panic buying. Fair excuses but when a player goes from £57m captain to deadline day free agent with no replacement in the space of seven weeks, it raises myriad questions which, surprisingly enough, cannot be answered with the capture of a player from the owner’s MLS franchise.

Arsenal have essentially cut weight for a bout of marathon boxing against at least three