Regardless of need, Arsenal have repeatedly found themselves either short of viable options or financially unable to commit in the winter market.
Antoine Semenyo was one clear example earlier this year, a player Arsenal wanted but ultimately could not pursue, with Manchester City the only club able to move immediately while Arsenal and Liverpool would have had to wait until the summer.
In the transfer window just gone, Arsenal tried to add another forward, making moves for Morgan Rogers, Vinícius Júnior and Julián Álvarez, all of which fell through for a variety of reasons. Despite that, the club still let both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli leave, bringing in only Christos Tzolis as cover.
As a result, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres have remained Arsenal's second-choice options on the left wing and up front respectively, both starting the Carabao Cup tie against Ipswich Town. Both came under scrutiny for their performances in that game, Gyökeres in particular, raising questions about squad depth should any of Arsenal's first-choice forwards pick up an injury.
That scrutiny only adds to the expectation on what Arsenal can achieve in the transfer market come January, a window notoriously difficult to do good business in, given clubs' reluctance to sell mid-season and the inflated prices that typically follow as a result.
Players arriving in January also have no pre-season to adjust, must integrate quickly and are expected to make an immediate impact, which often pushes clubs toward signing from within the Premier League itself, where options up front remain both limited and expensive.
Eli Junior Kroupi and Kevin Schade are among the names being monitored, with the latter enjoying an excellent start to the season at Brentford, though further targets could emerge as the campaign progresses.
Whether Arsenal are willing and able to act decisively if a genuine opportunity arises in January will go a long way toward determining whether Arteta's squad has the depth to sustain a challenge on multiple fronts through the winter months.