The Gunners are on track to return to European competition before changes to Champions League qualification take effect ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Arsenal began 2022 with three viable options for returning to European competition for the following season.
A month later, three has become one after being knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round by Championship side Nottingham Forest, as well as losing to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
The Arsenal's 2021/22 season has been unusual in many ways, with the club failing to qualify for Europe for the first time in over two decades due to finishing eighth and missing out on a Europa Conference League spot on the final day of last season.
Instead of preparing for trips or going to host games at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal will be looking on with envy as Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Leicester City, and West Ham United represent England in the knockout stages of their respective European competitions.
Unsurprisingly, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta has already stated that he is not a fan of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"It hurts a lot in the last few days to turn on the TV and see those teams there and not see Arsenal there," the Spaniard admitted ahead of Arsenal's win over Burnley in September. "It was excruciating. Completely true. I don't want to be sat there with Arsenal out of the picture.
Arteta will almost certainly need to finish no lower than seventh in the Premier League in order to lead the Gunners to the Champions League, Europa League, or Europa Conference League next season.
Of course, a top-four finish would be ideal, as it would mark the end of Arsenal's six-year absence from European football's elite club competition.
Whereas finishing fifth - or sixth, depending on who wins the FA Cup this season - earns a place in the Europa League, finishing seventh may earn a place in the Europa Conference League.
As things stand, Barcelona, Manchester United, and AS Roma - three teams that are higher in the club coefficients than Arsenal - are all in danger of missing out on the Champions League next season.
If this is the case ahead of the 2024/25 season, two of the three would take up positions three and four.
If the aforementioned teams qualify automatically for the Champions League, the Gunners can avoid this scenario, but they will still need to have built up their own coefficients to be in contention for one of the two available slots.
One way to accomplish this is to ensure that they compete in one of the three European competitions next season, and to go deep in the respective tournament.
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