Mikel Arteta has warned the Arsenal board that the club risk falling even further behind their rivals if they stand still in the transfer market.
The Gunners returned to Premier League action at their manager's former home Manchester City on Wednesday, and although they put up a fight in the first half they eventually succumbed to a 3-0 defeat.
Raheem Sterling put the hosts in front just before half-time, and after David Luiz was sent off for hauling back Riyad Mahrez early in the second half, Kevin De Bruyne's subsequent penalty and Phil Foden's late strike completed a miserable evening for the Gunners.
The loss leaves Arsenal down in ninth place in the table, eight points outside of the top four, and Arteta told Sky Sports that the Gunners are at risk of being left behind as he identified some of their flaws.
"Well let's see, we're trying to put a plan together to improve what we have," said the Spaniard when asked if Arsenal could makes signings to match Chelsea's move for Timo Werner, which was completed on Thursday.
"We haven't been able to do or achieve the results we wanted in the last three years.
"There's a reason behind it and if we stand still obviously that gap will get bigger and bigger. I haven't come here to accept or to do that.
"The challenge for all of us is first of all to improve the players that we have and find the ways to improve the squad in the right positions in order to give us the best possible chance and tools that we need to compete at that level which is getting higher and higher every year."
The Gunners are next in action on Saturday when they go to relegation-threatened Brighton.
