It says a lot of Leeds United's current confidence in their Premier League survival that January came and went without too much of a splash, with Facundo Buonanotte the only incoming at Elland Road.
There was no desperation in the mould of three years earlier, when the club's bid for safety saw the Whites fork out on a record move for Georginio Rutter, alongside ultimately flawed deals for Weston McKennie and Max Wober.
Currently six points from safety, Daniel Farke's men certainly aren't home and dry, but there's no need to panic, with the newly-promoted side still in charge of their own destiny this season.
Leeds-deadline-day
Powered by nine-goal sensation, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the Yorkshire side have someone to hang their hat on too, with the failure to land Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolverhampton Wanderers potentially set to prove a blessing in disguise.
Why Leeds have dodged a bullet on Strand Larsen
The window could well have had a very different complexion for Leeds, had their pursuit of Strand Larsen progressed, with the 49ers seeing a £33m offer rejected for the Norwegian.
Strand-Larsen-Wolves
Wolves, staring down the barrel of a return to the Championship, had been keen to cash in on their prised asset, albeit while having reportedly set an asking price of at least £40m.
As it proved, a deal was completed for closer to £50m, with Crystal Palace - even after retaining Jean-Philippe Mateta - looking to kickstart their season with another marquee forward signing.
In a modern era of seismic spending, £50m may not water the eyes like it once did, although that remains a significant chunk of change for a player who has - checks notes - scored just one top-flight goal all season.
Even that effort was from the penalty spot, with the 25-year-old looking like a shadow of the player who did at least net 14 times in an impressive Premier League debut campaign last season.
Strand Larsen goals per season (timeless)
He has reached double figures in three of his last four league seasons, excluding 2025/26, although has never gone beyond that tally of 14, having hardly been prolific in his career to date.
With Leeds seeing the value of signing Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer, forking out almost £50m on something of an unproven Premier League figure would have been a significant and unnecessary risk.
Strand Larsen vs DCL - 25/26 PL stats
Stat (*per game)
Games
Goals
Assists
Big chances missed
Big chances created
Goal conversion
Mins per goal
Total duels won*
Aerial duels won*
Indeed, it wasn't too long ago that a similar figure got you a player of real genuine quality...
Former Leeds star is worth way more than Strand Larsen after leaving
As already stated, Leeds are by no means wholly secure, but this is a different group to the one which wilted in 2022/23, with the club having almost benefitted from something of a reset in the Championship.
leeds-united-record-sales-raphinha-summerville-phillips Related
Leeds United's most expensive sales of all time
A look at the record departures from Elland Road.
That chaotic campaign was no doubt impacted by the decision to sell arguably the club's two best players that summer, with Kalvin Phillips joining Manchester City on a £45m deal, while Raphinha departed to Barcelona for £55m - representing a club-record sale.
It's fair to say that the pair were richly deserving of those high-profile moves, although their fortunes since couldn't have been more different, with Raphinha's star shining while Phillips' has dimmed.
Indeed, the ex-England international has moved on loan to Sheffield United for the remainder of the campaign, amid his Manchester hell, while the Brazilian is now recognised among the best players in the world and a central cog in Hansi Flick's Camp Nou side.
After registering 29 goals and assists in 67 games during his fruitful Elland Road stay, the 29-year-old has gone to a whole new level in Catalonia, now up to 123 goal involvements in just 166 total appearances.
Raphinha-Leeds-record-timeless
Once looking like a player whom the LaLiga giants might look to sell, the left-footer is now almost irreplaceable under Flick, having ended last term with 60 - yes, 60 - goals and assists from just 57 appearances.
Leeds supporters were already aware of his genius, and while it has taken time for those at Camp Nou to warm up to him, Raphinha's stock couldn't be higher, now even seen captaining the side on occasion.
While the current campaign has been impacted slightly by injury, the fleet-footed wizard still boasts 18 goals and assists from just 22 games, operating all across the frontline, or in a number ten berth.
His market value might has dipped slightly from its June peak, but he still rests at €80m (£69m), as per Transfermarkt, representing a significant increase on the price paid for Strand Larsen - with the Scandinavian striker's actual value deemed to be closer to €40m (£34m).
Raphinha
Perhaps, the new Palace man will make any doubters eat their words over the coming months and years, but the wisdom of that signing looks questionable as far as the Eagles are concerned.
As for Leeds, the brilliance of Raphinha - both abroad and in Yorkshire - showcases what a true £50m plus player looks like.
Strand-Larsen-Leeds Related
Forget DCL: Farke already has a bigger talent than Strand Larsen at Leeds
This Leeds talent would have made the signing of Strand Larsen pointless