Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he is concerned that he will not have the finances to strengthen his side in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners beat champions Liverpool 2-1 on Wednesday but still have work to do if they are secure a top-six finish.
Arsenal are ninth, three points behind sixth-placed Wolves.
Asked if he would have funds to strengthen Arsenal for next season, Arteta told Sky Sports: “I don’t know. It’s a big concern.”
He added: “You need it to build a squad. It’s not magic. You need to improve with quality, quality players in the squad and you need bigger squads to compete in this competition. There’s the challenge.”
Arsenal spent more than £135m last summer, breaking their transfer record to sign Nicholas Pepe for £72m as well as bringing in full-back Kieran Tierney for £25m, defender David Luiz, forward Gabriel Martinelli and defender William Saliba – who rejoined Saint-Etienne on loan.
But despite that outlay, Arsenal struggled to mount a top-four challenge and previous boss Unai Emery was sacked last November.
Arsenal came from behind to beat Liverpool, scoring from their only two shots on target and, while Arteta was pleased with fight shown by his players, he said the difference between the two sides remains significant.
“The gap between the two teams today is enormous,” he added.
“We can not improve it in two months, but the accountability, the fight is now equal and I am very proud of that. The rest will take some time.”
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