How much will missing out on Champions League affect Arsenal rebuild?

Mikel Arteta's emotions over the last 10 days or so perfectly demonstrate the tempered disappointment that Arsenal will feel after letting Champions League football dramatically slip from their grasp.

After seeing his side beat Everton 5-1 on the final day of the season, he admitted he was still in a 'lot of pain' over the defeat at Newcastle which effectively cost them a spot in the top four. 

But heading into the game, the Spaniard had said: 'When we are all on holiday and we look back at what we've done, whether we are in the Champions League or the Europa League, I think everybody will agree that we did more than was expected.'

That may be the case, but the majority of Gunners fan will not accept similar or worse next season, and with the tight turnarounds of Thursday-Sunday matches to contend with in 2022-23, Arteta will need to strengthen his threadbare squad.

But just like assessing their season - progress but ultimately a glorious chance missed - examining how a fifth-placed, Europa League finish impacts their ongoing rebuild in the transfer market is difficult to predict.

On the face of it, the prospects do not appear as fruitful as they may have been. Champions League football would no doubt have accelerated the so-called 'process'. 

The Gunners' Achilles heel this season was the lack of a prolific goalscorer up front, with centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes scoring as many top-flight goals as any Gunners striker this season.

They therefore require at least one frontman who can score more than 20 goals in a season. But it is so often the case that these players want to be playing in Europe's premier club competition.

It is why reports of Tottenham's interest in Man City forward Gabriel Jesus - a priority target for