THE Premier League may have finally ended, 352 days after it begun all the way back in August last year – but that doesn’t mean that the drama is quite over yet for the unforgettable 2019-20 season.
With next week’s FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea to come, as well as the resumption of European football next month – various qualifications could still change for the clubs involved.
But if Wolves were to win the Europa League and clinch a spot in its more illustrious sister competition for next year – would that lead to fourth-placed Chelsea missing out as Spurs did in 2012?
And is there a way that Arsenal can still get into Europe despite only coming eighth?
As it stands, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea have all earned direct entry into next season’s Champions League.
Leicester will enter the Europa League at the group stage, while Spurs will have to win a qualifying round.
Wolves and Arsenal currently miss out.
This could all change, however.
WOLVES AND ARSENAL REPRIEVES?
First of all, if Arsenal win the FA Cup final against Chelsea next weekend, they will take England’s third Europa League spot, with seventh-placed Wolves missing out.
Although should Chelsea win, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will enter the Europa League qualifying round, with Tottenham bumped straight into the group phase.
Should the Blues, or Manchester City, win the Champions League, nothing in terms of European qualification will change.
Likewise if Manchester United win the Europa League, the current qualifications will not be altered.
But if Wolves were to win it, they would gain direct entry into the Champions League group stage… but not at the expense of Chelsea.
Instead, England would have five teams competing in the Champions League – as they did in the 2017-18 season following Manchester United’s Europa League triumph.
