Two in, 175 linked

Summing up the winter 11/12 Silly Season almost requires a spreadsheet. A total of 175 players were linked with a transfer to Arsenal from the end of the August window to the end of January.

Of these one hundred and seventy-five players, two were signed. Thierry Henry arrived on a two-month loan (a grand total of three appearances so far) and Thomas Eisfeld's permanent transfer is one for the future. The German teenager made his Reserves debut in the past week.

This week, Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn claims that the club haven't got the multi-million transfer budget everyone have reckoned with (the club themselves prefer the term "significant sums") and that Arsène Wenger's hands have been tied more than has been commonly believed.

The interview with the Premier League's own television service is available on a Norwegian website here (not sure if it's available everywhere).

I'll expect that transfer rumours for the summer will pop up quite quickly, especially if Arsenal's barren spell continue this month. So a page will be created shortly.