The Europa League semi-final defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid not only means Arsene Wenger will end his Arsenal reign without silverware but ensures his replacement will not be managing in the Champions League next season.
A 2-1 aggregate loss in Spain meant Wenger’s 22-year reign had yielded no European honours.
With a sixth-place Premier League finish looking increasingly likely, whoever replaces Wenger will have a job on their hands to get the club back into the Champions League. Here’s a look at what the new man will need to address as his priorities.
Do not be afraid to sell
Arsenal’s squad has slowly been on the wane, and the club are on course for their lowest-ever Premier League finish under Wenger.
There are plenty of players who will be worried about their futures at the Emirates Stadium and the incoming manager should not delay in clearing out those who have proved to be below-par.
The likes of Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka joined for in excess of £30million but have struggled for consistency and may be high up on the list of potential sales, while players like Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck and Hector Bellerin will have a point to prove, too.
Spend money in the right areas
Ask almost any Arsenal fan where their team needs strengthening this summer and the answer will be somewhere in the defensive area.
Although this is the general consensus, Wenger broke Arsenal’s transfer record twice in six months to recruit two forwards in Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The defence has been neglected and, with Mustafi under-performing and skipper Laurent Koscielny nursing a long-term Achilles problem, a centre-back signing is crucial.
So too, is a new goalkeeper with father time catching up on Petr Cech and David Ospina yet to convince he is good enough to be the long-term number one. A genuine defensive midfielder is also required.
Work out how to get the best from Ozil
On his day, Germany international Mesut Ozil makes Arsenal tick and is the driving force of almost everything creative the Gunners do on the pitch.
He just does not have enough of those days. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown lambasted his display against Atletico as he again failed to deliver when Wenger and the club needed him most.
The former Real Madrid man has recently signed a new, vastly-improved contract and the new manager will need to fathom how to get Ozil to show week-in, week-out that he was worth such investment.
Get the fans united behind the team
Increasing calls from Arsenal supporters wanting Wenger to leave led to a split in the fan-base with protests and banners making way for the apathy which saw home games played out in front of a stadium with thousands of empty seats.
It has not just been Wenger taking the flak, with some players also coming in for harsh criticism – a video of Arsenal fans chanting negatively about Xhaka was circulating on social media ahead of the game in Madrid.
Those ructions and the negative atmosphere which shrouds the club at present need to be removed swiftly with good recruitment and strong performances on the pitch.
Bring a fresh approach to the training ground
Wenger is hailed for the changes he introduced when appointed in 1996, methods which were soon adopted throughout English football.
But in recent years he has seemingly been left behind as other coaches came to the fore, drilling their players in a manner we saw from Atletico boss Diego Simeone over the two legs of the semi-final tie.
The current Arsenal squad do not seem to respond to Wenger’s demands and a new face with a renewed energy and different ideas could be the spark required to get the Gunners back in among Europe’s elite.