The race for the top four in the EPL

THE English Premier League title race is as exciting as it’s been for years.

The race for the top four is just as close, tense and intriguing.

Four clubs are now fighting for two places: Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Each of these teams need to strengthen in the summer and they’ll find it much easier to do so if they have qualified for the Champions League.

Suppose Gareth Bale decides to move back to the Premier League for example; he’s not likely to be very keen on Europa League action.

A lot is at stake in the next couple of months.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Spurs were being widely talked up as title contenders.

I remained sceptical; indeed a month ago in this column I wrote that “there’s absolutely no chance of them ending up as champions”.

The Spurs squad lack the depth required to sustain a title challenge, a situation made worse by some recent bad luck with injuries.

The return of Harry Kane has ironically coincided with a dip in form.

The continued absence of Dele Alli is more damaging to their prospects than even Kane’s injury was.

Spurs have swiftly been sucked into the quicksand of the battle for the top four.

It’s a big psychological blow for them since they must have at least reached the point of thinking they had an outside chance of challenging for the title.

Mauricio Pochettino has done a great job this season without spending any money. I also wonder what’s on his mind.

When Jose Mourinho got sacked he was the obvious frontrunner to be the next Manchester United boss.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is changing that equation with each passing week though.

The transformation that he’s brought to Old Trafford means that the Norwegian is fast becoming the most likely candidate to get the job on a permanent basis.

He looks much more comfortable in the role than David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and even Mourinho.

Unlike the three mentioned above, Solskjaer actually looks like he’s enjoying it.

And the swagger and spirit of the Alex Ferguson era looks to be coming back too. The late win over Southampton at the weekend was Fergie-esque.

Of the four clubs in the hunt for those two precious places, the momentum is with United.

Arsenal are making solid, if not exactly spectacular, progress under Unai Emery.

But with Aaron Ramsey leaving and Mesut Ozil’s future not being entirely clear, a lot of rebuilding work remains to be done in the post-Wenger era.

The Maurizio Sarri era at Chelsea looked as though it might be short-lived following some calamitous results and a mutinous goalkeeper in the English League Cup final.

The Italian’s authority was left hanging by a thread.

But somehow he’s stitched it back together, at least to a degree.

Keeping Eden Hazard in the summer will be a lot harder if Chelsea have not made a return to the Champions League.

Winning the Europa League might represent an easier route back to the Champions League for Chelsea than qualifying via the Premier League.

If either they or Arsenal were to win that trophy then there would be five English clubs in the Champions League next season.

Apparently there is some very complicated permutation whereby the team finishing fourth in the Premier League could still miss out, but that seems to involve Spurs winning this season’s Champions League.

So I don’t think we need to worry about that too much.

I make United and Spurs (in that order) favourites to finish third and fourth.

Chelsea and Arsenal will have to give their managers more time; an approach that only one of those clubs is renowned for.