The transfer window is officially alive and kicking - and it has proven to be a busy one for Arsenal so far.
The Gunners have bolstered their defensive options with addition of highly-rated centre-back Omar Rekik from Hertha Berlin and have allowed Matt Macey, Sead Kolasinac and William Saliba to all leave the club.
Goalkeeper Macey has joined Scottish outfit Hibernian on a permanent deal whilst Kolasinac and Saliba have joined Schalke and Nice on loan for the remainder of the season, respectively.
All three players had struggled for opportunities at the Emirates Stadium this term, with Kolasinac the only one to have featured for the first-team.
After being starved of opportunities to prove his worth in north London this season, Saliba made his first senior appearance of the season for Nice on Wednesday evening, starting the Ligue 1 side's 2-0 defeat to Stade Brest. As well as being on the losing end of the scoreline, Saliba was also booked after just 11 minutes, meaning he had a debut to forget.
Kolasinac, on the other hand, made an immediate impact on his return to Schalke, starting their 4-0 win over Hoffenheim to help them finally end a 30-game winless run in the Bundesliga. As well as starting, the Bosnian international also took the captain's armband, playing a key role in helping his team-mates secure a long-awaited three-point haul.
A hat-trick from Matthew Hoppe and a solitary strike from Amine Harit, who claimed a hat-trick of assists for Hoppe's treble, sealed the win, with Kolasinac producing a solid defensive display to help the German outfit secure a clean sheet.
Kolasinac's impressive showing on his second Schalke debut earned rave reviews from the club's supporters, as well as Arsenal fans who were keeping tabs on his return to Germany.
The left-back's performance also captured the attention of reported Arsenal transfer target Julian Draxler. The Paris-Saint Germain midfielder, who has commonly been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in recent years, is once again, according to reports, on the Gunners' radar.
Mikel Arteta - the Arsenal manager - is desperate to add a new attacking-midfielder to his ranks this month and could, potentially, consider a move for Draxler if his hopes of signing Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City fail to come true.
On Saturday, Draxler watched Schalke's win over Hoffenheim, with the Germany international having spent 14 years on the books of the Bundesliga club.
And the midfielder put Schalke's improved performance down to the introduction of Kolasinac. On Instagram, the midfielder posted a photograph of the match on TV, writing: "@Seadk6 effect."
Clearly, the attacking-midfielder was impressed with his former team-mate's showing on his return to his former stomping ground, suggesting that the return of Kolasinac could do wonders in their fight against relegation.
