Arsenal has played in the group stages of the Champions League in each of the past 14 seasons and participation generally equates to £20 million in revenue.

Arsenal will play Besiktas in the qualifier.

“It doesn’t affect too much my transfer policy, even if financially it’s a big game, but that’s not the most important thing,” said Arsène Wenger. “We want to compete at the top level and want to fight with the best in Europe. That’s the point of this competition for us, not the financial consequences. We have always in the history at the club adapted to our finances. What’s very important is that you want to play against the best."