Arsenal completed the signing of Danny Welbeck from Manchester United late on transfer deadline day to bring the number of signings up to five. Welbeck, along with four other players, signed for the Gunners during the window, but did the Gunners strengthen adequately enough to be considered title contenders this season?

The first and easily the most recongisable talent that the club brought in, wzs 25-year-old Alexis Sánchez from FC Barcelona. Having been linked with players such as Mario Balotelli and Edinson Cavani, Wenger took the initiative to spend big on a player. Sánchez was reported to be moving to Liverpool, though on July 10 the Chilean agreed to move to the Gunners for a fee of around £35million.

Exactly one week later, another new signing was announced by the club. Mathieu Debuchy was signed from fellow Premier League side Newcastle United for a fee of £12million. Debuchy was a player that Wenger had sought out to replace Bacary Sagna, who left for Manchester City on a costless transfer at the end of June. Serge Aurier was another name on the list, but Arsenal went for France's current number-one right-back.

Arsenal went on to sign another two players by the end of July. David Ospina was the first. Ospina had been linked with several clubs after a more than impressive World Cup, but Wenger came in and signed him from French club Nice for a cool £3.2million. The 26-year-old comes in as expected backup for Łukasz Fabiański, though the player himself has said that he will work hard for a place in the first-team.

Calum Chambers was the fourth signing of the transfer window, joining on July 28. Chambers joined from Southampton for an initial fee of £12million, becoming part of the mass exodus at the Saints, with Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Rickie Lambert all leaving also. At just 19, Chambers, the young right-back who Wenger plans to use at the heart of defence, has already received his first England call-up after a more than impressive start to his Arsenal career. What would appear to be a long-term replacement for Thomas Vermaelen has become the start of a promising career for Calum Chambers.

The final signing came over a month after the last, with Danny Welbeck being announced at 1am on September 2. Welbeck joined from Manchester United on a five-year deal for a fee of around £16million, reportedly leaving to gain more first-team football, with Radamel Falcao heading to United from Monaco. Welbeck has already played 26 times for England, scoring eight goals.

Total transfers in: Five players (£82million)

With new players coming in, older players inevitably left. Like last season, however, there were no key departures. Gunners fans have seen the likes of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri all leave the club in past summer windows, but there was no such feat this time. Wenger was seemingly willing to get rid of anybody he deemed to be surplus to requirements, other than those who were unable to be tied down to new deals.

Bacary Sagna, Łukasz Fabiański and Nicklas Bendtner all left the club after their contracts were not renewed, joining Manchester City, Swansea and Wolfsburg respectively. The majority of unwanted youth players were released, Chuks Aneke being the biggest name released from the club. 

A transfer that was kept under a low profile was the departure of Thomas Eisfeld to Fulham for an undisclosed fee. The young attacking midfielder left after playing two senior games at the club, scoring in his final game against West Bromwich Albion in the Capital One Cup. Eisfeld's reason for leaving was for first-team football, and he saw Fulham as a chance to benefit his chances of a career developing. 

The biggest transfer involving an Arsenal player leaving the club was the sale of club captain Thomas Vermaelen to FC Barcelona for £15million. Vermaelen had fallen down the pecking order at the club, despite the role he held as captain, ending up as the third choice behind Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. The Belgian centre-back had also been linked with Manchester United, but a deal never came to fruition.

Johan Djourou and Ignasi Miquel were two other defenders that left on permanent deals. Djourou left for Hamburg after spending last season on loan, whilst Miquel joined Norwich City. The two left for a combined fee of £4million, with the former costing £2.5million and Miquel costing Norwich £1.5million.

Several players were also loaned out. Carl Jenkinson took the short trip to East London and joined West Ham on loan, whilst Benik Afobe was loaned out to MK Dons, where he has already scored five goals in seven appearances. Brazilian winger Wellington Silva was shipped out for the fifth time in three seasons, to another Spanish club, Almería. Ryo Miyaichi was a late departure on deadline day, joining FC Twente on loan for the season.

Total transfers out: 19 players (six on loan - £18.5million + £17.5million on clauses)

Overall, Arséne Wenger and Arsenal have produced the biggest net spend in the club's history (without clauses/rights sold), with a net spend of around £66million in this window. The signings of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Özil in the past two seasons proves that the club now have the resources, having paid off millions of pounds worth of debts. The club are set for years to come financially, but do the club have it in them to keep strengthening like their rivals?

The current Arsenal team possesses three first-team goalkeepers, a wide array of midfielders and an impressive amount of forwards. The main concern, however, continues to be the defence, with the Gunners having just six registered defenders in their squad: Kieran Gibbs; Nacho Monreal; Calum Chambers; Per Mertesacker; Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy. The lack of a Vieira-esque holding midfielder may also be a huge concern to Arsenal fans, and many will be wondering why Wenger never made a push for William Carvalho or Morgan Schneiderlin from their respective clubs.

Overall window rating: 5/10