The north London club’s reluctance to spend big on players will stifle their chance to build on their ever-distant legacy

It may seem odd to label a transfer window which included the recruitment of an Olympic gold medallist and the loan signing of the player that scored the winning goal in the 2022 Euros a failure, but that is the nature of the world that Arsenal are now operating in.

The issue is less about who they did sign – Jenna Nighswonger and Chloe Kelly being shrewd additions – more about who they didn’t and the perceived absence of a coherent recruitment strategy.