Mikel Arteta has delivered an honest assessment of the Arsenal squad as he prepares to navigate Champions League football next season as well as mounting another tilt at the Premier League trophy.
Barring a spectacular collapse from Manchester City in their final three games of the campaign, the Gunners have come up short in the title race. Although, one positive to come from the past nine months is a return to European football's top table for the first time since 2017.
But with the north London outfit likely to be placed in Pot 3 when the Champions League draw group stage takes place in August, there's a possible scenario - a nightmare one at that - where they are paired with Bayern Munich (if they retain their Bundesliga crown) and Real Madrid.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta issues worrying update on Gabriel Martinelli and Alex Zinchenko injuries
And having suffered elimination in the Europa League at the round of 16 stage against Sporting CP this season, Arteta has admitted that his current squad isn't at the required level for the jump up in quality and has therefore outlined what Arsenal must do this summer.
"No. At the level that we want no. We didn't have the capacity to do that as well with the Europa League so it's part of that evolution," he told football.london in the pre-Nottingham Forest press conference on Friday morning when asked if his squad has the depth to compete both in the Champions League and the Premier League next season.
"We have made a lot of good steps and strong steps in that journey and we have to continue. That never ends. We want to be better and the rest will be better, then the margins will be higher and we have to start to live with those standards and improve and be smarter.
"That doesn't mean only signing players. It's to improve our own players. There are players that we haven’t had the best out of them this season. There are a few players where they haven’t had the minutes or the performances and we have to seek as well for those players to give us a different edge.
"It's not only about signing players. It's about resources and staff and improving certain things that can be done better or more efficiently or smarter."
Arteta's quotes are rather interesting for many reasons, particularly in the case of improving players already at the club and those who haven't had much game time. Two who immediately spring to mind are Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira, whilst Albert Sambi Lokonga could be another.
With regard to Smith Rowe, it's been a frustrating campaign for him as he missed a huge chunk after undergoing groin surgery back in September and has gone from being an automatic starter to, at times, not making an appearance as a substitute even if Arsenal are chasing a result.
As for Vieira, the lack of a pre-season has definitely disrupted his first year in English football and it's safe to say he hasn't lived up to his £34m price tag and hasn't played a single minute since a disappointing performance in the 3-3 draw at home to Southampton last month.
But despite Arsenal's interest in Declan Rice and continued links to Moises Caicedo, it would appear that both players could yet be handed a lifeline ahead of next season as Arteta has made it clear that this summer isn't just about using the transfer window to improve the quality of the squad.
READ NEXT:
Joao Cancelo signs, Declan Rice joins, William Saliba contract: Arsenal's best transfer window
Arsenal take next step in securing £92m Declan Rice transfer by sanctioning Vincent Kompany deal
Saka concern, Arteta's Jesus switch - Three things spotted in Arsenal training ahead of Forest
Mikel Arteta has Joao Cancelo Arsenal alternative with cut-price transfer to solve big problem
Arsenal news and transfer LIVE: All the latest updates from the Emirates Stadium
