In a fortnight, the January transfer window will officially be closed. But will Arsenal's first-team squad look any different from what it is now?
Come February 1, 2022, Mikel Arteta will have overseen five full transfer windows as Gunners manager/head coach, so it's safe to say he has molded a squad to fit his vision.
The Spaniard has either signed or extended the contracts of a large portion of the Arsenal first-team squad and during the first half of the season, it quickly became clear as to which players he is relying upon as he aims to guide the club back into Europe - whether that be the Champions League or the Europa League.
Based on what happened in the summer transfer window and prior to the opening game of the season against Brentford, all signs pointed towards Arteta already knowing at least eight players that would feature in his strongest starting XI week-in, week-out when fit and available.
Those eight players were Bernd Leno, Benjamin White, Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
However, that's no longer the case as there's an argument that at least half of the aforementioned players are no longer guaranteed starters given how the first half of the season panned out.
And with Arsenal linked with moves for Arthur Melo and Dusan Vlahovic, could one force his way into Arteta's new core group of undroppables if they arrive in north London before the end of the month?
Any deal bringing Arthur to the Emirates Stadium will be a loan with reports claiming the Gunners would be willing to cover his wages of £80,000-a-week thus costing the club around £1.8m.
Meanwhile, it could cost anywhere between £50m-£62m - if reports are to be believed - to sign Vlahovic from Fiorentina.
If Arsenal technical director Edu is able to seal a stunning double transfer swoop that could be worth as much as £63.8m, would these two potential signings have any effect on Arteta's core group?
Well, football.london takes a look at the players the Spaniard will definitely be building around for the second half of the season in the quest to seal a top-four spot.
Aaron Ramsdale
As mentioned above, Leno had been Arsenal's undisputed No.1 following Arteta's decision to cash in Emiliano Martinez in the summer of 2020.
And even with the arrival of Aaron Ramsdale, not many would have predicted the German to lose his status so quickly.
Yet that is exactly what has happened with the England international taking over from Leno within weeks after completing his £24m transfer from Sheffield United.
In truth, Ramsdale has barely put a foot wrong since becoming Arsenal's first-choice keeper and is having the last laugh over a lot of his pre-signing doubters.
Another indication that he is one of Arteta's undroppables came in the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg against Liverpool as he was chosen ahead of 'cup keeper' Leno.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Arsenal's £18m deal for Takehiro Tomiyasu on transfer deadline day in the summer is turning out to be a shrewd piece of business.
The Japan international also had his doubters, well from one in particular, upon arriving in England but has quickly solved the right-back issue.
To highlight his importance, the drop in quality when Cedric Soares has to fill in when Tomiyasu has been unavailable is quite big so Arteta will have to wrap the 23-year-old up in cotton wool.
Benjamin White
Arsenal pushed hard for Benjamin White last summer and the £50m price-tag was a clear indication that Arteta was planning to build his defence around the England international.
After a difficult debut against Brentford, the 24-year-old is growing in stature with every passing game.
He's not perfect, there are still aspects of his game that needs improving, but his performance against Liverpool last week was certainly a breakout moment.
Gabriel Magalhaes
At the start of the season, while it was clear that White was earmarked to be the first-choice right-sided centre-back, Arteta still needed to find him the perfect partner.
Some Arsenal fans were adamant that the role should have gone to Gabriel Magalhaes, but with the Brazilian missing the opening three games through injury, Rob Holding, Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers had their eyes on the left-sided spot.
Turns out those supporters were spot on as the White-Gabriel partnership has provided a solid base centrally, thus giving Arteta the chance to settle on a first-choice back four.
Kieran Tierney
The Scotland international was one of Arsenal's best performers in a difficult 2020/21 season.
A constant threat down the left-hand side, at times Kieran Tierney was a one-man attacking machine, with the 2-1 North London Derby win over Spurs a perfect example of what he offers down his flank.
The only concern has been his fitness issues as he has missed a total of 31 games through injury, as per transfermarkt, since joining from Celtic in the summer of 2019.
Although, Nuno Tavares proved to be a capable back-up option for Tierney, filling in when the Scot missed three games this season with a bruised ankle.
Just don't mention the Nottingham Forest game.
Thomas Partey
Arsenal didn't see the best of Thomas Partey last season and just as he was beginning to find his groove this season, he departed for the Africa Cup of Nations.
If the performance against Manchester City is anything to go by, there's justifiable cause for optimism amongst Gunners supporters and Arteta for when he returns from Cameroon.
But much like Tierney, the Ghana international just needs to steer clear of injury for him to really show what's he's capable of in the middle of the park.
Although, the search for his best midfield partner looks set to continue.
Whilst Granit Xhaka is clearly favoured by Arteta, links to the likes of Arthur and Bruno Guimaraes show he's most at risk to be more of a rotational option if Arsenal sign a new midfielder this month.
Bukayo Saka
When fit, Bukayo Saka starts for Arsenal. It's as simple as that.
And Arteta, to his credit, has stuck to his plan of finding the England international's best position this season
"He has played really well on occasions in the back four as a full-back. He's been exceptional for me on the right-wing and has been really good as a wing-back as well," the Spaniard said last season.
"Having great versatility for him has made him a different player. He's really intelligent and he can pick things up really very quickly.
"And we will mould him into the position we want him to play more and more."
After being used in a number of roles - including left-wing, left-back, or even right-wing back - under Arteta, the 21-year-old has made the right-wing spot his own.
Martin Odegaard
Last summer, Arsenal were linked with two attacking midfielders and the profile of the players caused plenty of debates amongst supporters on social media.
For some, as Martin Odegaard hasn't scored as many goals in his career as James Maddison, he wasn't the first-choice option for the number 10 role.
But it's safe to say the Norwegian is winning those fans over as he's shown he can be the solution to the major flaw in Arteta's system - creating chances.
A victim of the circumstances when Arteta experimented with a 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 system earlier in the season, since the return to a 4-2-3-1 Odegaard has certainly been one to benefit.
Arsenal's chief creator has become an automatic starter in his favoured no.10 role and he could even be in contention to be the club's next captain.
Dusan Vlahovic
If Vlahovic is an Arsenal player when the January transfer window closes, they would have spent a lot of money to get this deal done.
The latest reports coming out of Italy claim a £50m offer plus Lucas Torreira has been made, although figures of around €75m (£62m) that Fiorentina are demanding to be paid in full have also been rumoured.
Whilst Alexandre Lacazette has taken over the captaincy from Aubameyang, he would by no means be a guaranteed starter if Vlahovic arrives.
After all, it would be bizarre for Arsenal to spend big money to sign one of Europe's most prolific goalscorers this season and have him operate as a back-up option to a striker who doesn't offer anything close to the same goal threat.
With that said, the two notable omissions from this list are, of course, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli.
Now, both have been part of Arteta's core group over the course of the season so far, with the Brazilian seizing his chance of late given the England international's fitness problems.
As things stand it's not clear as to who gets the nod on the left-wing when both are fully fit, and it's a nice dilemma to have.
