Tottenham Hotspur will be delighted with UEFA’s latest U-turn, which involves awarding additional spaces in the Champions League based on a league-specific coefficient system, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has claimed.
The Lowdown: UEFA’s plans
UEFA had originally intended to hand out two extra places in the Champions League, which fell in accordance with clubs’ 10-year coefficients. However, critics argued that this represented an unwarranted insurance policy for the ‘big clubs’ who were seen to be underperforming.
As a result, The Times have reported that UEFA will now award an extra spot based on a country’s performance in the competition, which would likely lead to a fifth team qualifying from the Premier League.
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The Latest: Maguire’s claim
With Tottenham still fighting it out for a fourth-place finish and a spot in the Champions League, Maguire has claimed that Spurs, and by association their chairman Daniel Levy, will welcome this news – especially with the potential to earn up to £150m from qualifying for the competition.
Speaking with Football Insider, he proclaimed: “It is a backstop for the likes of Spurs.
“Qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League generates more money than winning the Europa League, and the upper limit is £150m.
“We can argue about the fairness of it but this is why Tottenham would understandably be so keen to have these insurance options in place.”
The Verdict: Levy will be delighted
With the new insurance policy set to come into play, Levy will be delighted with the increased probability of gaining revenue as a result of Champions League qualification.
Furthermore, this could also act as an incentive for manager Antonio Conte to remain with the club, as it has previously been reported that it is unlikely that the Italian would stick around in N17 without Champions League football.
Therefore, the introduction of a backstop will surely be welcomed by Spurs, as Maguire has suggested.
In other news: Noel Whelan drops Richarlison/Spurs transfer claim