The Gunners were once regulars at European football’s top table, reaching the final in 2006, but top-four finishes have been in short supply of late
There was a time when Champions League competition without Arsenal being involved was almost unimaginable, with Arsene Wenger making the Gunners regular guests at European football’s top table.
Between 1998 and 2017, the legendary French coach delivered a record-setting run of 19 successive qualifications for elite continental competition – with the north London heavyweights making their way to a first final in 2006.
Wheels started to come off, though, towards the end of Wenger’s tenure and Arsenal have been unable to put them back on since. How long has it been since a Champions League finish was last secured? GOAL takes a look…
Prior to their qualification for the 2023-24 Champions League, Arsenal's previous involvement in the competition came in 2016-17, meaning they went six years without competing in UEFA's top-tier club tournament.
Qualification for the 2023-24 edition of the Champions League was secured after the Gunners finished second in the 2022-23 Premier League. Before that, Arsenal had been marooned in the Europa League, having failed to finish in the top four.
While Mikel Arteta has had to be patient, it did not take Wenger long to make an impact in English football following his appointment as Arsenal manager in October 1996.
He guided the Gunners to Premier League title glory in 1997-98, while also landing the FA Cup as part of a domestic double, and a Champions League bow was made in the following campaign.
Group-stage exits were endured in each of Arsenal’s first two outings at that level, before reaching the quarter-finals in 2000-01.
A place in the last eight was
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