All eight of Arsenal's transfer targets appear unattainable in the January transfer window.
The Gunners have not scored as freely as fans have become accustomed to during Mikel Arteta's reign this season. So losing top goalscorer Bukayo Saka, with nine goals and 13 assists in all competitions, for an extended period is as big a blow as their boss could have suffered.
Saka is expected to be sidelined until at least March after undergoing surgery on his hamstring injury. And that naturally led to suggestions that Arteta could use the winter market to strengthen his attacking options.
He and the Emirates hierarchy did this to great effect two years ago when they signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton in a deal worth up to £27m. But doing good business mid-season is much harder than in the summer, and it looks like that will certainly be the case this time.
No fewer than eight names have emerged who are admired in North London. They are Alexander Isak, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Leroy Sane, Benjamin Sesko, Nico Williams, Florian Wirtz and Arda Guler.
Newcastle United are said to have slapped a £150million price tag on Isak to head off any interest. Wolves have a similar 'no-sell' stance towards Cunha, with whom they are in contract extension talks.
Thomas Frank quickly put to rest the speculation surrounding Mbeumo, who scored against Arsenal on New Year's Day. Speaking ahead of the 3-1 defeat to Brentford, he said: “In January? I'd say good luck. We love Bryan. He loves playing here. He's had a fantastic season so nothing will happen.”
While the three Premier League stars were a talisman for their side, Sane often found himself on the fringes of Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich team ahead of his impending contract expiry. But a return to England this month was previously ruled out by Bayern, according to reports in Germany.
Sesko is also a nine-figure sum to land, with Leipzig signing him until 2029. And that's money the Gunners simply don't want to spar over, at least not for now.
Williams is also likely to remain a long-term target despite being one of the few reasonably priced prospects with a £49m release clause. The Spain international has repeatedly asserted his loyalty to Athletic Bilbao and is believed to be unwilling to put them in the unwanted position of leaving during a season in which they are battling for Champions League qualification.
As for Wirtz, who announced himself to the elite with a Euro 2024 standout like Williams, he is reportedly nearing a contract extension with Bayer Leverkusen. And while Guler could be on his way out of Real Madrid due to a lack of minutes, that doesn't seem possible until the summer at the earliest.
Arteta and Co will have plenty of time to reassess their options in the coming weeks. But the usual difficulties of enticing both clubs and players to make moves in January look set to make for a frustrating period without another new striker.