With another transfer window shut, Hansi Flick now knows the exact make-up of his Barcelona squad for the rest of the season.

In truth, there was never really much chance of this window being a transformative one for the Spanish champions, given their financial situation. The Catalans are still overspending on wages, and were only able to bring in Joao Cancelo thanks to Andreas Christensen’s injury.

But there were a few significant outgoings, as well as a number of youngsters brought in for the reserve team.

Here, our Barcelona correspondent Pol Ballus recaps the club’s signings and sales over the past month.

The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Sources with knowledge of transfer dealings, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, have been spoken to before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment.

Was this window a success or a failure?

Barcelona have reason to be moderately satisfied with how the window panned out, even if it hasn’t brought a significant upgrade.

The main positives were signing someone to offer defensive depth, in Joao Cancelo (even if he has looked a bit behind the rest of his team-mates so far), and offloading Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who left to join Girona on loan.

Unfortunately, the 33-year-old goalkeeper suffered a muscle injury that could keep him out for more than two months, in just his second game for Girona. The Germany international will not return to Barca, however, as there was no clause to cancel the agreement.

There was a tough pill to swallow with Dro Fernandez. Seeing one of their most highly rated youth prospects join Paris Saint-Germain for €8million (£6.9m; $9.4m) — with a deal reached between the clubs around his €6m release clause — was hard to take, especially for Flick. He saw great potential in the 18-year-old, who broke through on Barca’s pre-season tour after the German promoted him, but had only played 148 minutes since.

How much did they spend and how much did they bring in?

Barca spent nothing on their first team and got one player: Joao Cancelo. On the other hand, they cashed in €8m for Dro, who told the club he wanted a clearer path to first-team football.

Ter Stegen’s departure only freed up a small amount on the wage bill, as the deal with Girona was for a straight loan, with Barca covering the vast majority of his salary.

Who have they signed?

Cancelo, 31, joined on a loan until the end of the season from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal. Barca are only contributing a share of his wage, around €4.5m. That is the amount freed up by Christensen’s absence. Barca were once again able to take advantage of the fine print in La Liga’s salary limit rules, which allow for some flexibility around long-term injuries. Christensen’s space on the wage bill has been taken up by Cancelo.

Barca did not spend more money, mostly because they couldn’t, as they are still over their salary limit. However, they did make several signings for Barcelona Atletic, their reserve team currently in Spain’s fourth tier.

Juwensley Onstein, an 18-year-old Netherlands youth international, signed from Belgian club Genk. Egypt youth international striker Hamza Abdelkarim also joined from Al Ahly on a six-month loan.

England youth international Ajay Tavares, a 16-year-old winger who also has a Portuguese passport, is expected to arrive from Norwich, while 19-year-old Uruguay youth international Patricio Pacifico has been signed on loan with an option to buy from Defensor Sporting Club.

Were there any deals they wanted to do that they didn’t get over the line?

At the start of the window, Flick wanted to sign a centre-back. The club explored this and saw that there was no suitable candidate available on favourable terms. Instead, they switched their attention to Cancelo. Despite not being the perfect fit, he offers a temporary solution.

Are there still any obvious gaps in the team?

Barca could clearly use another top-level centre-back. Flick is short of options in that department, with Christensen injured and Eric Garcia, one of his most trusted lieutenants, often needed in other positions.

But none of the players Barca identified to cover that gap were available in winter — at least not for a price they could afford.

Do they have the squad to achieve their goals for the season?

They will still need their fair share of luck, especially in the Champions League, but Barca can dream of winning all four of the titles they are competing for this season.

Having already claimed the Supercopa de Espana in January, they lead Real Madrid by one point in La Liga and are through to the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

“We dream of repeating the success of last season, but with a bit more,” said president Joan Laporta at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai in December. That “bit more” refers to the Champions League — the only trophy the Catalans did not win last term.

Barca might not be among the top favourites in Europe for now, but if the squad keeps gaining momentum as they are doing, there is no reason to think they can’t get there.

Will the manager/head coach be happy?

Flick is satisfied with the work the club has done. Signing a centre-back was preferred, but he understood that Cancelo was the only profile Barca could add in defence.

The 60-year-old was very disappointed by Dro’s departure, but again understood that it had more to do with the young player’s decision-making, rather than any fault on Barca’s part.

What will their priority be in the summer?

Robert Lewandowski is nearing the end of his contract, and Barca do not plan, for now, to offer him a new deal. With the 37-year-old expected to leave, after four seasons at the club, a new No 9 will be the top priority.

Barcelona will also have the option of signing Marcus Rashford for €30m when his loan from Manchester United comes to an end in June. Barca want to keep him, but it is still unclear whether they will trigger that option or explore other ways to sign him. Either way, it will not affect their search for a new central striker.

Rashford’s loan from Manchester United runs until June, when Lewandowski’s contract expires (Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images)

A new centre-back is also wanted. Barca have lacked an established defensive partnership this season, partly because of the multiple injuries they’ve suffered. The departure of Inigo Martinez last summer has not been properly covered, despite Gerard Martin’s solid redeployment in the role, and a new addition would be welcomed by the coaching staff.

Will they have money to spend?

This is still very unclear. Barca sources say they are confident the club can bring itself fully in line with La Liga spending rules, which would mean more freedom to operate in the summer transfer window, but those messages have been shared many times before.

The defining factor will once again be their salary limit. The goal is to reach the golden target known as the ‘1:1 rule’. That would mean Barca can re-invest all funds generated back towards salaries and registering new signings. New sources of income, mainly from commercial deals or player sales, would help in that department.

La Liga usually updates clubs’ salary limits shortly after the close of the winter transfer window, so we should know more about Barca’s situation soon.

What is their strongest XI now the window is shut?

(4-3-3) Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Raphinha.

The full list of ins and outs

In: Joao Cancelo (Al Hilal, loan)

Out: Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Girona, loan), Dro Fernandez (PSG, €8m).