It proved to be yet another manic transfer window for Swansea City.
A total of five players were brought in while no fewer than 10 departed in the opening month of the calendar year.
And, as has generally been the case since relegation from the Premier League, the journey from beginning to the end of the window was a turbulent one to say the least.
Having only had exactly one month in charge by the time the summer transfer window closed, Russell Martin and his coaching staff were clear on how pivotal the winter market would be ahead of the second half of the campaign.
Targets were identified well before January 1, although the Swans were dealt a significant blow before 2021 had reached its climax.
News of Bournemouth's swoop for Ethan Laird came as a huge shock to those in the corridors of power at the Swansea.com Stadium, and transfer plans were instantly changed as a result.
Creative player(s) had previously been the priority, although recruiting a new right wing-back swiftly moved to the top of the wish list.
With festive fixtures being postponed due to a rise in Covid-19 cases, access to players was limited while Jake Silverstein was unable to oversee as much as he would have liked during his ultimately shortened visit to the club in December.
Such was the surprise around Manchester United's decision to recall Laird before sending him to the Cherries, club staff had to pull an interview put together with the bubbly youngster prior to Christmas.
Cyrus Christie - who wasn't getting a look-in at Fulham - was identified as the prime target to replace Laird, although it took some serious negotiating between the player and the Cottagers before a move could be finalised.
Fewer than 24 hours after the Republic of Ireland international put pen to paper on a deal with the Swans, staff had been informed that the deal was off - leaving the club in limbo.
Martin went on to discuss the sacrifices made by the 29-year-old to make the move to Swansea happen, and that particular transfer allowed Swansea to return to their focus of adding to their forward options, something that had been complicated by Jamie Paterson's contract situation.
Just days before the loan capture of Christie, Swansea had signed Andy Fisher for £400,000 from MK Dons.
Martin has long been an admirer of the 23-year-old and realised several months ago - particularly after playing Ben Hamer over Steven Benda - that the goalkeeper would perfectly fit the club's style and budget.
But that nagging issue of an additional playmaker was still lurking.
READ MORE: The Swansea City January transfer window ins and outs in full as two deadline day deals completed
Paterson had been left frustrated after being under the impression that his new deal would be on improved terms, and despite the efforts from some of those on the ground in Swansea to grant the 30-year-old his wishes to be rewarded for his impressive efforts in the opening half of the campaign, neither bonuses or a wage increase were sanctioned by those at the top.
Reducing the wage bill has been part of the remit for Martin since he made the move to south Wales.
That undoubtedly played a part in the owners' decision not to grant Paterson and the former Bristol City man's agent what they had requested, or even a compromise.
Such have been the cost-cutting measures in place, it's understood that, from last season, the player wage bill has been reduced by approximately 50%, largely, of course, due to the exits of big-earning stars such as Andre Ayew and Conor Hourihane.
James McAtee has long been admired by Swansea, and he could well have been drafted in on loan to fill the void left by Paterson had the attacker departed.
However, Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer of the 19-year-old, and - while he saw Swansea as a good fit for a potential loan move - the Catalan was determined to keep McAtee in and around his first-team squad for the remainder of the season, as revealed by WalesOnline last week.
All the while, Swansea were pursuing other targets. There was clearly a frustration brewing among those on this side of the Atlantic.
Speaking after the 0-0 draw with Huddersfield Town, Martin spoke about the club's chase for one particular target.
"We thought we were really close and then at the last minute it was off," he said.
Swansea had lined up a deal for Brighton's Ryan Longman - who clinched a permanent move to Hull City on deadline day following a loan stint with the Tigers.
It was expected that he would become the club's third January signing, although a last-minute call from the United States meant the plug was pulled on the deal, much to the frustration of those at Brighton and those on the ground in Swansea.
Matt O'Riley was also targeted, and the player himself was keen to be re-united with his former boss Martin. A source close to the midfielder noted a frustration with the Swans' lack of conviction when it came to striking a deal. But it once again came down to finances.
He ultimately joined Celtic for £1.5m on higher wages than he would have earned at Swansea. Nevertheless, the Swans were disappointed not to get their man having cited the development of key players such as Flynn Downes and Joel Piroe under the current regime who commanded similar fees to that which saw O'Riley move to Scotland.
And that pain was only heightened after an attractive instalments package that would have seen the Swans pay just £300,000 of that fee up front proved insufficient in convincing the club's owners to stump up for the 21-year-old. The remaining £1.2m would have been given to MK Dons in chunks across the next four windows, although it wasn't to be.
Assets were being missed out on, and having regularly stated his desire to secure permanent deals rather than relying on loans that left the club vulnerable - as seen with both Laird and Liverpool's Rhys Williams - Martin became resigned to shopping predominantly in the loan market as the purse strings remained tight.
Hannes Wolf attracted interest from clubs in England and across Europe, although the Austrian's agent's close relationship to Martin combined with Swansea's style of play helped convinced the 22-year-old to secure a temporary switch to south Wales.
He too sacrificed an enormous sum to ensure he could get regular game-time with the Swans following his struggles at parent club Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Other transfers helped to further reduce the wage bill, namely Jake Bidwell's move to Coventry City, although Swansea figures were left hugely frustrated in their efforts to replace the 28-year-old.
They had previously enquired about taking Josh Wilson-Esbrand on loan from Man City, although the Premier League leaders were not willing to send the 19-year-old out on loan.
And after expecting to be backed financially to replace Bidwell, the Swans were - until the very late stages of deadline day - firmly under the impression that it was not possible to bring in a left-sided defender that they so desperately craved, and needed.
Jay Fulton was among those who had been allowed to leave the club, although he turned down offers from Barnsley and Blackpool. He has been a more prominent figure of late and could play a greater part in first-team proceedings in the near future - particularly given the lack of options in certain areas.
That transfer twist was somewhat crucial to the chase for a left wing-back as Liam Walsh was sent on loan to Hull City in a move that helped to raise funds to bring in Nathanael Ogbeta from Shrewsbury Town.
The Swans had a bid for the former Manchester City academy player rejected last week, although they formally announced Ogbeta as a Swansea player on a two-and-a-half year contract as the clock struck 11pm on Monday night, with Walsh's exit being confirmed just 30 minutes later.
One plus point from the coaching staff's perspective at least was that Paterson remains at the club.
Swansea knocked back a third bid from Queens Park Rangers for the 30-year-old on deadline day, and Martin is due to hold talks with the playmaker on Tuesday morning over his position at the club after a move away from south Wales failed to materialise.
It's unlikely that the former Bristol City man will be back on the pitch anytime soon, although it is hoped that he can return to the first- team fold to add some much-needed creativity to the squad for the remainder of the season.
All the while, numerous young guns including Dan Williams, Brandon Cooper and Morgan Whittaker were sent out on loan to get some much-needed game-time under their belts - with Finley Burns coming in from Man City to add an extra defensive option for the remaining months of Martin's debut campaign at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Watford's Domingos Quina and Ipswich Town's Scott Fraser were both admired by Swansea, although neither player was fiercely pursued by the club in January.
It was a left wing-back and an additional forward that were wanted late on, and while one of those boxes were ticked, even then it required arduous negotiations with the powers that be while it also needed a midfielder to join a Championship rival on a temporary basis.
It has all ensured the squad looks somewhat thin to say the least with 20 Championship matches left to be played this term while it also served as a reminder of the financial situation the club - in its fourth successive Championship campaign - is actually in.
Remaining financially prudent is vital and a glance at others in the EFL proves how quickly a club can go to the wall, but after being given a clear remit after moving from MK Dons to Swansea, it's clear frustrations have emerged among those behind the scenes at Fairwood.
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