The transfer window of January 2015 was an unusual one for Arsenal. For one, Arsenal actually brought in more than one player in January, and two, the players that Wenger has brought into Arsenal are actually players that Arsenal needed to help them progress for the remainder of the season. Arsenal signed Krystian Bielik, a defensive midfielder, from Legia Warsaw and Gabriel, a centre-back, from Villarreal. Both of these additions to the North London team are very positive as the Gunners have now strengthened in areas that were very weak and lacked diversity. With many key players such as Ozil and Walcott returning from injury, Arsenal can now push for the vital top four place.
The first player Wenger brought in was 17-year-old Polish youngster Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw for a reported fee of £2.4 million. The six foot tall defensive midfielder had only made sixsubstitute appearances for his former club, however that was enough for Wenger to sign up the highly rated youngster. The signing was more of a prospect rather than a purchase that would have an instant effect on the team, however many pundits and fans believe this signing was the right move for Wenger.
The second and final player that was brought into Arsenal was 24-year-old Brazilian centre back Gabriel from Villarreal, for a reported fee of £13 million. This was the player Arsenal desperately needed to add to their squad after the sale of club captain, Thomas Vermaelen, to Barcelona in the summer left the Gunners with only two established centre-backs. Gabriel was a part of a Villarreal defence that had only conceded 18 goals for the first half of the season and the side were also on an 18 match unbeaten run in La Liga, in which Gabriel played a vital role in both achievements.
As well as signing the right players, Wenger also offloaded the right players. Forwards Lukas Podolski, Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell all left the Emirates on loan deals to Inter Milan, Crystal Palace and Villarreal respectively. These loan moves were a great move for Wenger because it allowed Sanogo and Campbell to play more first team experience and earn those valuable minutes, whilst for Podolski, the loan to Milan allowed the German forward to seek the playing time he wasn’t earning in North London.
From all this evidence, it is very clear that Arsenal actually had a very successful transfer window. The North London side bought well and Wenger managed to loan out players who will get first team experience rather than rot away on the bench. Could this transfer window prove a pivotal role in Arsenal’s journey to Champions League football once again?