Bielik, Akpom and Debuchy among players allowed to leave Arsenal on transfer deadline day

Apart from completing the protracted transfer of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on deadline day (31 January) Arsenal also sanctioned a number of moves for players on the fringes of the Gunners' first-team.

Krystian Bielik, Chuba Akpom, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Mathieu Debuchy have all left the north London club. The former three have left on loan until the end of the campaign, while the latter has left the club permanently after his contract was terminated.

Bielik joined Walsall on loan until the end of the campaign as the club are keen for the young Polish defender to get regular game time. The 20-year-old was a regular feature with the Arsenal reserves which saw him make his first-team debut last season in the EFL Cup.

The centre-back even featured with the senior squad during their pre-season tours before the start of the season, but has recently been sidelined with injury. He enjoyed a productive loan spell with Birmingham last season, which has caught the attention of Walsall manager Jon Whitney and he revealed that they have been on the trail of Bielik for a number of weeks and beat off competition from a number of League One clubs to capture his signing.

"Krystian is a very technical, ball-playing centre-half and he's had a good loan spell with Birmingham last season, so he's got a Midlands connection," Whitney said, as quoted on Walsall's official site.

"He was really good for them but he's had a shoulder injury in the last few months. I've been chasing him for about two or three weeks now, and we've persuaded him to come here ahead of other League One clubs and some abroad, too," he added.

Akpom, meanwhile, has moved to the Belgian Pro League to join Sint-Truidense V.V. also known as STVV until the end of the season, after it became clear that he will not be guaranteed regular game time at the Emirates Stadium.

The England Under-21 international has been on the fringes of the first-team since the last campaign, but has failed to make a breakthrough. He has been surpassed by 18-year-old Eddie Nketiah in the pecking order, which has prompted the club to send him out on a temporary basis so that he can gain further first-team experience.

"English attacker Chuba Akpom signed a lease on Stayen today until the end of this season," a statement read on the Belgian club's official site.

The 22-year-old revealed his satisfaction after completing the loan deal and is hoping that he can help the team have a strong end to the season. STVV are currently in sixth place on the Belgian league table.

"I am very satisfied that I can finish the season at STVV and I want to contribute to a strong end of the season," Akpom said.

Debuchy, on the other hand, has left Arsenal on a permanent basis after his contract was terminated by the club. He still had 18 months left on his deal with the Gunners, but the club and the player were eager to move on.

The France international has joined Ligue 1 outfit St Etienne on a six-month deal until the end of the campaign. He is keen to play regularly in the hope that he can impress national team manager Didier Deschamps ahead of the World Cup this summer in Russia.

"I am very happy and proud to join AS Saint-Etienne. I had good discussions with coach Jean-Louis Gasset. I felt that he really wanted me and our exchanges convinced me to come here. I want to have fun on the field and help the team of Saint-Etienne to find a better place in the ranking," Debuchy told St Etienne's official site after completing his move on transfer deadline day.

Apart from the aforementioned quartet, Olivier Giroud was another departure from the club with the striker joining Chelsea in a reported £18m deal.