Arsenal remains within striking distance of Manchester City in the Premier League title race, but a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich potentially exposed how much work is still ahead for manager Mikel Arteta to make the club a serious threat in the Champions League again.

The two sides played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie. On Wednesday, Joshua Kimmich's header in the 63rd minute was enough to propel Bayern to the semis.

Arsenal's Kai Havertz has had his moments this season. His nine goals and five assists in the Premier League are already his most in a single season since coming to England in 2020-21. The club, meanwhile, has the second-highest goal tally in the PL.

However, the Gunners were badly missing the cutting edge with Havertz leading the line, which has occasionally been the case when the German lines up as the central striker. Gabriel Jesus' introduction in the 68th minute did little to change things.

Not surprisingly, supporters used Wednesday's defeat to renew calls for reinforcements in the summer:

Especially if Arsenal fail to overtake Manchester City in the Premier League, Wednesday's match will sting even more in retrospect. Bayern Munich is as vulnerable as it's been in years, yet Arsenal could hardly muster anything in the final third with the tie hanging in the balance.

Heading into last summer, Arteta and his staff had a clear target in mind when it came to the transfer market. They knew Declan Rice was exactly the kind of player they needed in the midfield, and he has been worth every penny so far.

Looking ahead to the next window, there isn't the same kind of obvious answer to what remains a glaring issue. It's easy enough to say Arsenal could use a traditional centre-forward, but identifying one who seamlessly fits into Arteta's system is much more difficult.

Arteta and sporting director Edu Gaspar will have their work cut out for them.