Arsenal may have missed out on lifting the Premier League trophy this season, but their reward for finishing runners-up is a long-awaited return to the Champions League
So it’s UEFA Champions League football for Arsenal next season, the original target for Mikel Arteta’s side all the way back in August.
Of course with the way the 2022/23 campaign unfolded, there is a tinge of disappointment that the Gunners weren’t able to win the Premier League trophy, but upon reflection, the Spaniard is certainly satisfied that his side will be back at Europe’s top table for the first time since 2017.
“We wanted to bring the club back to the Champions League,” Arteta said after Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Wolves at the weekend. “That was the main target. That was obviously a big demand in the summer before we did certain things and before we managed to keep some of our players.
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“Then the journey started and day by day, you start to have a feeling that the team is moving in the right direction and the energy and spirit is really good. Then you start to generate some belief. We didn’t expect to finish where we are. I think it’s the third best record in the club, with the history of the club, the most wins ever.
“It’s a lot but it’s still not enough to win it. We understand where the level is. If we want to be the real deal, we can’t be happy with what we have, and we have to be next season much better.”
Arsenal’s reward for finishing second in the Premier League table is a place in next season’s Champions League group phase which will be the last in the competition’s current format with UEFA already announcing plans for the 2024/25 season where there will be a single league made up of all 36 competing clubs.
This means a departure from the current format of a 32-team group stage and most importantly, as the statement explained: “This will give four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe.”
How those changes affect the north London outfit remains to be seen, but transferring from the Europa League to the Champions League is certainly going to impact the club one way or another heading into next season and not just playing on a Tuesday or Wednesday night instead of Thursdays.
Firstly, due to not being crowned Premier League champions or winning the Europa League, Arteta’s side won’t be placed in Pot 1 when the Champions League group stage draw commences in August. In fact, a few weeks ago it appeared they were set for Pot 3 as a result of being ranked 23rd in the UEFA coefficient table.
However, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Eintracht Frankfurt, Ajax and Villarreal all failing to secure a top-four finish in their respective leagues, Arsenal are set to be in Pot 2 – allowing them to avoid Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid – as long as Juventus don’t win their appeal against a points deduction punishment in Serie A.
In addition, Champions League prize money is a lot more lucrative than the Europa League. If this season is anything to go by then the Gunners will bank £13.4million just by taking part in the group phase of the former which is a significant increase on the £3.1m they received for reaching the group stage of the latter.
And finally, unlike in the Europa League this season where Arsenal received a bye as a result of topping their group, the top two teams in all Champions League groups automatically qualify for the round of 16 stage and therefore Arteta’s side won’t have to wait until March of next year to resume their European journey should they advance.