Arsenal

The squad has long been filled out by mediocrity, so on one level the departures of six players who were not regular starters is welcome. But the fact nobody has come in, despite an obvious need up front and an attempt to sign the Juventus-bound Dusan Vlahovic, rings alarm bells and their push for a top-four spot looks a couple of injuries away from derailment. The sanctioning of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s move to Barcelona without his being replaced speaks to Mikel Arteta’s uncompromising principles but also leaves their attacking ranks perilously thin.

Key ins: None. 
Key outs: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Roma, loan), Folarin Balogun (Middlesbrough, loan), Sead Kolasinac (Marseille), Pablo Marí (Udinese, loan), Calum Chambers (Aston Villa)

Aston Villa

Financial might and Steven Gerrard’s pulling power could help turn Villa into a potent force. The clearest evidence of that so far is the signing of Philippe Coutinho, whose return to the Premier League was one of January’s most exciting deals. Lucas Digne’s arrival, followed by Matt Targett’s departure, showed that Gerrard has a clear view of how he wants to improve Villa. The overhaul is far from complete – notably they did not upgrade the base of their midfield, although they did fend off interest in Douglas Luiz – but Villa should finish this season strongly.

Key ins: Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona, loan), Lucas Digne (Everton), Robin Olsen (Roma, loan), Calum Chambers (Arsenal). 
Key outs: Anwar El Ghazi (Everton, loan), Matt Targett (Newcastle, loan)

Brentford

The arrival of Christian Eriksen on a deal until the end of the season made headlines around the world and the playmaker should feel at home as one of nine Danish players on the books after the signing of goalkeeper Jonas Lössl this month. Thomas Frank and his assistant Brian Riemer agreed contract extensions to leave Brentford feeling even more unified before the final push for survival.

Key ins: Jonas Lössl (Midtjylland), Christian Eriksen (unattached) 
Key outs: Marcus Forss (Hull, loan), Charlie Goode (Sheffield United, loan)

Brighton

A busier window than might have been expected ended with Yves Bissouma still at the club despite strong interest from Aston Villa and others and the departure of Dan Burn to Newcastle. A deal for a much-coveted striker was agreed, although Deniz Undav will stay on loan with the Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise until the end of the season after agreeing a four-year deal. Meanwhile, the defender Odel Offiah – nephew of the former rugby league star Martin – extended his contract until 2024.

Key ins: Kacper Kozlowski (Pogon Szczecin), Deniz Undav (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise). 
Key outs: Aaron Connolly (Middlesbrough, loan), Kacper Kozlowski (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, loan), Dan Burn (Newcastle)

Burnley

The club are pretty much back where they started on 1 January. Chris Wood was sold after Newcastle triggered his release clause, leaving Burnley with a gaping hole in their forward line. Deadline day brought the arrival of the Netherlands striker Wout Weghorst as a like-for-like replacement. At Wolfsburg the 29-year-old had a record of one goal in every two games, which will give Sean Dyche hope Weghorst can fire the club to safety. They missed out on Dinamo Zagreb’s Mislav Orsic and on Aaron Ramsey, to make it an uninspiring window for a club in trouble.

Key ins: Wout Weghorst (Wolfsburg). 
Key outs: Chris Wood (Newcastle)

Chelsea

The club refused to panic after attempts to cut short Emerson Palmieri’s loan at Lyon proved unsuccessful. They are short of cover at left wing-back after losing Ben Chilwell to injury for the rest of the season, but Thomas Tuchel has shown he can be flexible with the players at his disposal. It would not have made sense to buy a left-sided player and Tuchel saw no reason to act once it was clear that suitable loan targets were thin on the ground.

Key ins: None.
Key outs: None

Crystal Palace

Early hopes of signing Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek on loan faded quickly once Everton entered the frame, with similar interest in Dele Alli also failing to ignite. A permanent deal for the striker Jean-Philippe Mateta before the Frenchman’s initial 18-month loan expired could prove a smart piece of business and further recruitment is expected in the summer.

Key ins: Jean-Philippe Mateta (Mainz). 
Key outs: None

Everton

The deadline-day arrivals of Frank Lampard, Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli injected much-needed optimism into Everton’s season, yet the window as a whole shone an unforgiving light on how the club is run. Rafael Benítez, his authority increased after the departure as the director of football of Marcel Brands, bought in two full-backs for an initial outlay of £29m and sold Lucas Digne after a falling-out. The Spaniard was sacked a few days later. The unplanned signing of Anwar El Ghazi limited his successor’s options for domestic loans.

Key ins: Vitalii Mykolenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Nathan Patterson (Rangers), Anwar El Ghazi (Aston Villa, loan), Donny van de Beek (Man Utd, loan), Dele Alli (Spurs). 
Key outs: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa)

Leeds

Ostensibly a risk-averse window but will Marcelo Bielsa’s decision not to sign one senior player prove a high-stakes gamble? Admittedly the manager wanted Brenden Aaronson, Red Bull Salzburg’s £20m-rated United States forward, but Salzburg would not sell. Although Leeds never contemplated accepting West Ham’s ambitious offers for Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, Phillips ranks among a raft of injured senior players also including Patrick Bamford. Much hinges on their return.