With pressure building on Edu and Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have still not progressed their transfer business on deadline day.
The Gunners are seemingly likely to go through the entire window without a single incoming, despite strong links with Arthur, Dusan Vlahovic and Alexander Isak.
Not only have the club not yet added to their squad as they chase down a top-four finish and Champions League football for the first time in six seasons, but they have also allowed several squad players to leave over the last few weeks.
They include Pablo Mari, Sead Kolasinac, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Calum Chambers. Former club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is also close to signing with Barcelona on loan for the rest of the season, while 90min has reported that the club are also open to allowing record signing Nicolas Pepe to leave on loan.
Pepe has spent the last month with the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations, but the report states a Spanish club is confident of securing a deal before tonight's 11 pm deadline, while there is also interest from Germany and France.
Should Aubameyang and Pepe add to Arsenal's growing list of departures, how might an already slender squad look for the remainder of the season?
According to Arsenal's official squad on their website, it would leave them with just 20 players. These include Arthur Okwonko as a third goalkeeper, who has never made a senior appearance for the club. It also includes just 17 outfield players, only three of whom are listed as forwards.
Those three are Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli, with the latter usually starting on the left flank, leaving Arteta with very little flexibility or depth across the front line.
In central midfield, Arsenal currently have just three first-teamers available in Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga, with Mohamed Elneny on international duty with Egypt, while the likes of Cedric, Nuno Tavares and Rob Holding must provide depth across the defence.
Arsenal only have the Premier League to contend with between now and the end of the season. They have just 17 games, no more, no less, to complete the campaign, and Arteta has a settled starting XI that has proven cohesive and successful throughout the first half of the season.
However, with several positions lacking depth and the squad already creaking through January, a few key injuries or suspensions could derail the Gunners' chances of a top-four finish.
Edu and Arteta are playing a risky game, especially if they lose both Aubameyang and Pepe in the coming hours.
Here is how the squad could look:
Goalkeepers: Aaron Ramsdale, Bernd Leno
Defenders: Ben White, Rob Holding, Gabriel, Kieran Tierney, Nuno Tavares, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Cedric Soares
Midfielders: Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Nicolas Pepe
Forwards: Gabriel Martinelli, Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah.
