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The winter transfer window officially came to a close on 31 January. While clubs such as Juventus and Barcelona enjoyed a fruitful January, other teams were not quite as fortunate.
Although teams usually refrain from doing too much business in the winter, this season's window saw deals get completed and even fall through at a frantic pace.
Newcastle United and their new owners set the tone by shelling out over £90million on reinforcements. Meanwhile, Dusan Vlahovic's £70million move to Juventus was the most expensive move of the window.
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Tottenham Hotspur and Antonio Conte suffered a frustrating few weeks as the club missed out on Luis Diaz and Adama Traore.
Ousmane Dembele has been linked with a host of teams yet now faces the prospect of watching the action in Spain from the bench for the next six months.
As teams gear up for business at the end of the campaign, we take a look at five clubs who required new signings but were simply unable to get it done:
#5 West Ham United
David Moyes' West Ham United have run into serious trouble after a strong start to the season. On the bright side, the Hammers are still in the FA Cup and will play in the knockout stages of the Europa League.
However, their Premier League form is worrying. The Hammers are on a two-game losing streak and are at real risk of being overtaken by the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and even Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Moyes' side have 37 points from 23 games, while Arsenal (36 from 21), Spurs (36 from 20) and Wolves (34 from 21) are breathing down their necks.
West Ham were tipped to make a real charge towards direct Champions League qualification but have fallen off and failed in the transfer window as well.
The Hammers were reportedly willing to spend close to £100million on Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha of Leeds United. Marcelo Bielsa, though, unsurprisingly decided against selling his best players, especially with Leeds facing the prospect of a relegation dogfight.
West Ham were also tipped with a move for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez but the deal did not materialize. The Hammers will now face a difficult second half of the campaign with no new additions and just one striker (Michail Antonio) in their squad.
#4 Atletico Madrid
It has been a season to forget for Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid so far. Fortunately for Rojiblancos, most teams in the top half of the La Liga table have slipped up in recent weeks.
Atletico are fourth with 36 points despite having won just two of their last five league games. They also sneaked into the Champions League's Round of 16 with the skin of their teeth and will now face Manchester United.
Atletico's trademark defensive solidity has been missing this campaign. They have conceded 26 league goals so far, the second-most in the top half of the table. The defending champions conceded just 25 goals in 38 games last season on their way to the title. Despite the obvious frailties, the club failed to strengthen in the winter window.
Kieran Trippier departed for Newcastle United for £13.5million. Simeone's men have signed left-back Reinildo Mandava from Lille and 32-year-old right-back Daniel Wass from Valencia for a combined £5.1million fee.
Meanwhile, Barcelona, who are threatening to leapfrog Atletico, enjoyed an excellent January transfer window. Atletico and Simeone now face an uphill battle in the second half of the season.
#3 AC Milan
To be fair, the AC Milan management made it clear late last year that there would be no major expenditure in the winter window. Nonetheless, it does feel like Milan have missed an opportunity this season.
With Juventus having a down year and Inter reeling from the loss of Antonio Conte and Romelu Lukaku, AC Milan had a real chance to push for league glory. Unfortunately, they have not been able to grab it and the current squad has gaping holes, especially in centre-midfield and at centre-back.
Reports suggest AC Milan made a strong push to sign Renato Sanches from Lille but the move eventually collapsed. Meanwhile, Juventus stunned the world by landing Dusan Vlahovic.
AC Milan are currently third, four points behind leaders Inter, who also have a game in hand. Their Champions League return didn't go as planned either as the club were eliminated in the group stage.
There is a sense that Ibrahimovic and co. don't have enough in the tank to challenge Inter and must be more wary of Atalanta and Juventus lurking right behind them.
#2 Manchester United
Just when it seemed like Manchester United were making progress under Ralf Rangnick, they were hit by the suspension and arrest of Mason Greenwood.
The Red Devils also sent out Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek and Amad Diallo on loan. With four attacking players gone, United suddenly appear a bit lightweight, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani in their twilight years.
The Red Devils' requirements are obvious - a defensive midfielder and a right winger. Unfortunately, Rangnick couldn't bring in any new players in the transfer window. The club also missed out on potential target Denis Zakaria, who joined Juventus instead.
Meanwhile, Jesse Lingard is still at the club, despite pushing very hard for a transfer. This means Manchester United are more likely than ever to lose him on a free transfer at the end of the season. It was a window filled with surprises, and not good ones.
#1 Arsenal
It felt as though over the course of the winter window, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were locked in a mini-battle to see who could miss out on more targets. Spurs managed to avert embarrassment by landing Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus.
Arsenal, though, were able to offload Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his massive wages, bringing the Gabon forward's time in London to an end. Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends for the Gunners.
It means Mikel Arteta will go into the crucial second half of the season with very few options at centre-forward. The Gunners were linked with Dusan Vlahovic, Alexander Isak and even Alvaro Morata, yet somehow managed to miss out on all of them. With Alexandre Lacazette looking increasingly likely to leave the club, Arsenal desperately needed reinforcements up front.
The race for next season's Champions League qualification is heating up. Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and West Ham United are battling for fourth place, with Chelsea also threatening to drop into that mix. Arteta was completely justified in demanding new signings. The Spaniard will now have to make do without them.
