Moment of reckoning for Chelsea and Spurs
What happens should either club fail to finish in league’s top four?
Antonio Conte has admitted his Chelsea team will find it ‘difficult’ to qualify for the Champions League should they fail to beat Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow. But Spurs will be looking nervously over their shoulders during the run-in if fifth-placed Chelsea close the gap to just two points and land a big psychological blow. Here are some implications for both clubs if they were to miss out on Champions League qualification.
The managers
Conte is expected to leave at the end of the season, wherever Chelsea finish, so the bigger issue is whether failure to qualify for the Champions League would impact on their search for a replacement.
Luis Enrique or Thomas Tuchel are unlikely to be put off by the prospect of succeeding the Italian if Chelsea finish fifth, but it would probably kill off any slim hope of landing the man who would be their ideal first choice — Mauricio Pochettino. Chelsea know there is little chance of taking Pochettino away from Spurs, but they will make a check if they pip their London rivals to fourth place.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy though is hopeful of convincing Pochettino to sign a new contract and lead Spurs into their new stadium next season. Qualification for the Champions League would obviously make that easier, but the Argentine’s future is not dependent on it.
Keeping their stars
Thibaut Courtois is still yet to sign a new contract at Chelsea and will only have 12 months remaining on his deal at the end of the season.
Without Champions League football, it may be hard to convince the Belgian to commit himself past his final year — even if Chelsea’s offer would make him the highest-paid goalkeeper in the world.
Similarly, Eden Hazard will have two years left at the end of the season and it is hard to see why he would sign a new deal or ignore interest from Real if the club finish outside the top four.
As for Tottenham, Toby Alderweireld looks set to leave, regardless of where they finish, and doubts remain over Danny Rose’s future at the club. Mousa Dembele has also revealed talks over a new contract will not take place before the World Cup, as he waits to assess his options.
A place in the Champions League may well influence Dembele’s decision. Tottenham, though, are confident of securing Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris to new contracts.
New signings
Despite missing out on European qualification, Chelsea enjoyed a highly successful transfer window two summers ago — signing N’Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso and David Luiz, who were all key to last season’s title success. Their budget is unlikely to change dramatically based on where they finish. The World Cup and the earlier closure of the transfer window will make things tough, so being able to offer Champions League football would obviously be an advantage.
At Tottenham, Pochettino’s targets will not change depending on where Spurs finish and he already has to shop in a different market to most of his rivals, in any case.
Spurs are keen to land Ryan Sessegnon if Fulham are not promoted from the Championship and will have a better chance of convincing him not to go to Manchester City if they secure a top-four spot. Part of Levy compelling Pochettino to sign a new contract could be demonstrating to him that Spurs will have the sort of money it will take to remain competitive near the top.