Arsenal ended the January transfer window without a new striker to lead Mikel Arteta's attack despite having interest in a number of players. The lack of out-and-out No.9 has already cost them after missed chances proved critical over two legs against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.

The Gunners have been tipped to add reinforcements to their forward line since Bukayo Saka suffered his hamstring problem before Christmas. Gabriel Jesus' ACL injury last month looked to be the final push for activity but nothing followed.

Despite launching a bid for Ollie Watkins last week and joining the race for Mathys Tel, Arsenal go into the remainder of the season without a new face. Whether that is the right thing to do or not, will remain to be seen.

Here, football.london writers have their say on whether the club's decision to wait until the summer to is the correct one or whether they should have acted in January..

Josh Holland

When the news of the Watkins bid emerged, I had concerns. At 29, Watkins is in his prime but I have reservations over the Villa star. I believe a move for Alexander Isak or Benjamin Sesko in the summer is the smarter route.

By all means, a temporary solution would have been perfect. Tel's availability came at the perfect time for Arsenal but Bayern Munich's intention of including an obligation to buy means that deal made little sense.

There is reason to be concerned over the lack of a prolific striker in Arteta's team. But, by no means, should Arsenal bite the bullet and spend millions on a move that may not improve the squad.

That being said, they must ensure they are not in this position at the end of the summer transfer window.

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Amie Wilson

In an ideal world, Arsenal would have added to their striking options in January, but I think the Gunners have made the correct decision to not move for a forward for the sake of it. I don’t feel that a move for Ollie Watkins would be the right one for Arsenal.

In my opinion, they’re much better in waiting until the summer and then trying to move to the likes of Alexander Isak. He would be a signing that could mean Arsenal continue to push for the Premier League title for years to come.

If Bayern had been willing to do a straight loan move for Mathys Tel, then I think that’s the sort of deal that may have benefited Arsenal in the current window, but I think they have made the right decision to take their time and get the right player in - after all five goals against Man City show that they still do have goals in the team between now and the end of the season.

Matty Hewitt

It seems strange to be saying this on the back of a 5-1 win against a Premier League title rival, but Arsenal missed a major opportunity by not bringing in a striker. Although Liverpool are six points clear, potentially nine if they win their game in hand, the lack of competition for the title is not something the Gunners can afford to pass up on.

You'd expect Man City to come back stronger next season under Pep Guardiola - and with a vengeance. Waiting to bring in a prolific forward may be enforced upon the Gunners given how strict the Premier League is with PSR.

Arsenal's hands may be tied, though the audacious approach for Ollie Watkins suggests otherwise. After the Gunners let another window pass them by without bringing in a striker, there can be very few complaints from the hierarchy if they don't win the Premier League this season.

There are still goals in the Arsenal squad, but we've seen them come up short on far too many occasions this season, something title favourites Liverpool have not.

Joe Doyle

Unfortunately for Arsenal, they're going to have to go without a new striker addition until at least the summer.

Realistically, I think they've made the right move in not signing a striker for the sake of signing one - as long as a top-quality option joins in the summer, be it Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres or someone else.

But in reality, they're paying the price for a muddled process in past years. Kai Havertz has been decent in the role of striker - but make no mistake, he was signed as a midfielder and Mikel Arteta said as much. Being moved up to a No.9 when that didn't work out means they've made the best out of a bad situation.

The fact that they were looking for a cut-price deal for Watkins makes sense: he's Premier League proven and would add goals and assists straight away - maybe if they'd moved earlier in the window they'd have got him before Jhon Duran moved to Saudi Arabia.

Moving for a Mathys Tel, who is arguably not an upgrade on any position in the starting XI, would add depth but not the required improvement in the long term. A simple loan could have been worth it, but not if an obligation to buy prevented them signing a world-class striker in the summer.

Jack Flintham

The only reason that Arsenal would be right to wait until the summer to sign a striker is if they have given up hope of winning the Premier League. Without a recognised goalscorer it is difficult to see how the Gunners can possibly close the gap on Liverpool.

That being said, signing a proven striker in the winter window is incredibly difficult. No team wants to let a goalscorer leave and Arsenal would have been forced to pay big money to sign one this winter.

Napoli's Victor Osimhen is the only recognised, talented striker that Arsenal could have brought in but it appears that ship has sailed. Despite scoring five on Sunday against a poor Manchester City team, a striker was needed this winter.

This could prove to be a wise move if Arsenal can sign a world-beater in the summer, but right now, it feels like an admission that the title is out of the Gunners' reach.

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Isaac Seelochan

I think this is ultimately a good decision by Arsenal. Why go out and spend big money on Ollie Watkins, for example, when you can use that money to get the striker you really want in the summer?

Yes, the Gunners are still within a chance of winning the Premier League title, but realistically, Liverpool are huge favourites now. As for the Champions League, winning that will be almost as difficult.

In an ideal world, they could have gone and signed Matheus Cunha with Saka injured, but again, it would have required a lot of funds to pull that off. Arsenal should be just fine until the summer.

Tom Coley

Acting as part of a plan is always better than panicking and it would have been very easy to do something silly this window for Arsenal. Jumping at Tel when he might not have been a firm target would not necessarily have been wise, even if he is mightily talented.

The market for strikers will definitely be there in the summer and Arsenal are locked and loaded with cash to spend. If they had been in a really close title race at this stage then maybe things would have been different and a £60million Viktor Gyokeres bid would have been thrown out there.

As it happens, Arsenal have acted without impulse. It's admirable and sensible. Bringing in a winger or looking for a long-term option had they been available would have been smart but the January window is rarely the space for that.

Bruna Reis

I believe that waiting until the summer to sign a striker is the right call from Arsenal. I wasn’t convinced that Ollie Watkins would be the answer when the club launched a £40m bid with there being better options out there, in my opinion.

Given the possibility that Viktor Gyokeres’ release clause could be lowered in the summer, it would be silly for Arsenal to not explore that route. He’s a proven threat and goal scorer while we’ve seen that Watkins needs a lot of chances to convert.

The likes of Alexander Isak may also be available if Newcastle lower their demands but if they remain firm over the reported £150million fee, Benjamin Sesko could be available. And he is well aware of Arsenal’s admiration for him.