Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has suggested that the club needs a major investment in new players in order to close the gap on the likes of Liverpool.
Arteta’s side beat the newly crowned champions 2-1 on Wednesday but face a fight to finish in the top six.
And the Spaniard has no doubt that it will take money as well as time in order for the Gunners to catch up with the Premier League’s top sides.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, he said: “The process is to improve and then obviously recruitment becomes massive if you want to catch that level.
“It’s no secret. I don’t know any team that has done it in a different way without big investment.
“I think it’s pretty clear that we need to strengthen the squad.”
Arteta added that he was unsure how much money he will have to spend this summer and how long Arsenal fans might need to wait for the club to be serious contenders again.
He said: “I’ve seen it, and I’ve experienced it, done in one year.
“And I’ve seen other clubs never do it or some do it in four or five years.
“It depends on the context. It depends on your resources and depends on how much you have to change.
“We are in a process. We don’t know at the moment – there is a lot of uncertainty in many areas.
“What we can control now is who we want to be as a team, the culture we are building and the spirit to be successful.”