There is always an element of excitement that swirls around amongst football fans worldwide when January 1st arrives, but Arsenal fans tend to be reluctant to get their imaginary cheque books out this time of the year. Of course, this is for good reason.

It is extremely rare that Arsene Wenger ventures into the notoriously difficult month-long transfer window. In fact, when Wenger does decide that reinforcements are necessary, it is almost certain that the season is on the verge of disaster. Panic seems to be the major motivation behind any purchase. The latest example of such activity was only two seasons ago, with the signing of Andrey Arshavin finally completed at the beginning of a snowy February. At the time, Arsenal were lagging behind Aston Villa in the quest for a Champions League place…oh how times have changed.

Two seasons have passed, and the Midlands club have more interest in surviving the relegation drop than a Champions League spot. On the other hand, Arsenal do have title aspirations, and consequently shall not see any need to strengthen in January. Wenger has stated that he is not going to rule out a signing, but one can only envisage any sort of transfer activity if the injury to Thomas Vermaelen worsens considerably during the month. Otherwise, the need for a new signing is pointless in Wenger’s eyes.

Arsenal have a squad that has been painstakingly built, upon not only technical ability but personality too. To scout a player and assess their qualities within a month is always going to be difficult, and when such a signing would be nothing but a luxury, it seems unlikely that it will happen. However, a big factor for every Premier League club this season will be the new ruling of the twenty-five man squad cap. For this simple reason, transfer activity will be down greatly from previous seasons. Since squads are already reduced in size, the only way the majority of clubs can sign players is if they enact a one-in one-out policy, which a club like Arsenal will be unwilling to do.

Purchases will almost certainly be made for the youth team setup, as a transfer window never seems to pass without Wenger beating the rest of Europe to a potential new star. However, this new Premier League initiative, which incidentally the Arsenal manager despises, will almost definitely prevent this transfer window from being remotely exciting.

This lack of activity is hardly a bad thing though. Since it is almost certain that nothing will happen, this month shall serve as no distraction to the Arsenal players. There is surely nothing as off-putting as knowing a player may well come in and take your place in the starting line-up. For example, this summer greatly influenced the performance of Manuel Almunia in the opening weeks – he was forced to play with inflated pressure as a result of the ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of Mark Schwarzer.

If all the players are sure of their role in the squad until at least the end of the season, this can only improve the atmosphere within the camp. Therefore, whilst there will hardly be a flurry of movement in the market, which shall not help the transfer gossip columns. This of course demonstrates, above all, the strength of the Arsenal squad, which is clearly the most important thing.

Are any Arsenal fans expecting to see new arrivals this January?

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