The frustration from Arsenal’s empty January transfer window was made only worse after the defeat to Newcastle. What was arguably one of the top-three Emirates-era victories against Manchester City at the weekend has been utterly smashed by both deadline day and then Wednesday night.

The trip to Dubai could not come sooner for the team who are in need of a rest and perhaps more so in need of an escape. The expectations around the Gunners is massive, and the team has been firing using every cylinder it has available despite such key parts missing.

While at the same time navigating further problems like illness and, of course, the controversial decisions that have stood out more so this campaign than any other. Frustrations over goals, despite being just four off last season’s tally in the league at the same stage and just two points worse off, have been rife.

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All that while also having lost Bukayo Saka for many months and also Gabriel Jesus, who was just looking like he’d found some form. The winter window was a failure, no doubt, but it was not completely wasteful.

Work was done to help in future windows with sources telling football.london that a deal for Martin Zubimendi is in a very good place for the summer. This was a move in the offing from before Edu Gaspar resigned and since has been taken over by Jason Ayto, who has stepped into his role.

With both Thomas Partey and Jorginho’s deals expiring in the summer, a replacement had to be found. This shows proactiveness and ambition by moving for one of if not the best options on the market.

But that will all be parked for a week as the plane taking the players to the Middle East has departed. There are plenty of plans in place to help get the winning feeling back into the side.

I sincerely hope that phones get switched off, and they can exist in something of a bubble, enjoy time with family and detach while also working internally on getting better. It gets so underestimated the mental toll these seasons can have on players and while physically this is sure to be incredibly uplifting, more than just methods to tackle fatigue are necessary.

Having the likes of Saka and Ben White with the group will also be encouraging. Gabriel Martinelli, who suffered an injury against Newcastle, is also with the side which is hopefully a good sign of his prognosis.

Some young players are also making the trip, the likes of Max Dowman and Jack Porter. For Arsenal to succeed in either of the final two competitions this season they have to play with quality but again find that joy that they soaked up in the second half of the last campaign.

Then when the summer comes, focus can turn to making the squad stronger. But as Mikel Arteta says, this is what we’ve got for now and we need to maximise that.