Mikel Arteta has warned his Arsenal stars he "will not accept" failure to qualify for Europe this season and says the club are feeling the strain from a lack of Champions League football.
The Gunners are into their third season out of UEFA's top club competition, and are currently sat outside the European qualification spots in the table for next season.
If Arsenal were to miss out altogether, it would be the first time since the 1995/96 season they are not involved in any continental competition - something Arteta feels is unthinkable.
“We haven’t been able to achieve the goals we have wanted in the last three years and there is a reason behind it,” he said. “If we stand still that gap will become bigger and bigger. I haven’t come here to accept that.
“The fact that we’ve not been in the Champions League has put an enormous amount of pressure on the club in financial terms.
“We know our responsibility and the aims – and how much that would relax the financial position that we are in. We are trying to put a plan together to improve what we have."
Arsenal are already facing a difficult summer in the transfer market due to the financial implications of the coronavirus crisis.
They have lost significant revenue since being out of the Champions League, and failing to even qualify for the Europa League would reduce the transfer kitty further.
In addition, the chances of attracting top talent becomes harder without the lure of European competition.
Arteta added: “The challenge for us is to improve the players we already have and find ways to improve the squad in the right positions to give us the best possible chance to compete at that level. It’s getting higher and higher every year.
“We know the target, the difficulty of the task because there are a lot of clubs in that fight. We have to give it a go and believe that we can do it.”
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