Im not so sure about that one...for all of our promise, and their regress, we're still fairly evenly matched. And they WILL make some changes this summer, especially if they dont have Champions League football, there is no way that they will let that happen and not do something about it. Wenger's stubborn, but he's too bad a loser to let that get in the way of his precious 4th place. It will interesting to see what difference it makes to each team's player recruitment though. Given that Wenger seems unconvinced by many of the players that Arsenal have been interested in in recent times I struggle to see who he's going to bring in that will significantly improve them, regardless of whether theyre in the Champions League. IMO the level of player that we can bring in is more greatly affected by CL status than it is at Arsenal; I could still see them pursuing and being able to sign Podoslki or Cazorla type players, even in the Europa League...players who, if coached into an effective unit, are amply capable of maintaining parity with us. I doubt that we can sign the sort of striker that everyone is calling for without the badge of Champions League football, and that may just harm us in the long run.
Totally agreed with all of this.
Arsenal won't suddenly become pariahs in the eyes of their transfer targets just because they miss out on CL for one season. They are widely considered to be one of Europe's top clubs. It will take more than a few years of missing out before they are no longer considered such. If they do miss out, I would still expect them to embark upon a major investment in the squad this summer. They'll be back. No question about it.
All this talk about a power shift in north London is nonsense - even if we do finish above them. It will only mean that we have been better this season. That's all. And even then, in all likelihood, only by a fine margin. We won't have left them trailing far behind in our wake. In fact, until our new stadium is built and until we have spent a few years consistently among the elite, it will continue to be a major achievement for us to finish above them.