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Legendary manager Arsene Wenger has explained why Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur should not be allowed to play in the Champions League next season, even if one of them wins the Europa League.

United and Spurs are one step away from reaching the Europa League final as they hold healthy leads over Athletic Club and Bodo/Glimt respectively.

Both teams have endured a dismal season in the Premier League but could still end it on a high by securing Champions League football through winning the Europa League.

There could be a real possibility that six Premier Legaue teams will be in next season's Champions League.

However, former Arsenal boss Wenger has called on UEFA to review their rules about rewarding the Europa League winners with a place in the Champions League, which was first introduced in 2014.

He said on beIN Sports: "They should qualify automatically for the Europa League but not necessarily for the Champions League.

"Especially when you're in the Premier League where already five teams qualify. I think it's something [for UEFA] to think about and to review."

Wenger continued: "On the other hand people will tell you that to keep the Europa League focused, interesting and motivated you need to give them that prize [Champions League]."

As reported by the Daily Mail, no team below 12th place in their domestic league has reached the final or won the competition.

Back in 2023, Sevilla were 12th in the La Liga table when they won the trophy.

Currently, United are 15th in the Premier League table after collecting just 39 points from 35 matches. Meanwhile, Spurs are in 16th on 38 points.

Speaking ahead of the second leg against Athletic Club, Ruben Amorim admitted that his team's only focus is on the Europa League.

He said: "We are losing games in the Premier League, but we are fighting for the Europa League so we need to accept that and to think about Thursday now.

"This is the most important game for us."

Manchester United are reportedly set to lose a huge advantage over Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the Europa League final.

On Thursday night, the lineup for this season's Europa League final will be decided.

Currently, both United and Spurs are the heavy favourites to advance to the showpiece final, which will take place at the San Mames in Bilbao, Spain.

The Red Devils are nursing a 3-0 lead over Athletic Bilbao ahead of their second leg clash at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Spurs will head to Norway to take on Bodo/Glimt with a 3-1 lead.

Last week, it was claimed that United are set to gain a huge advantage before the potential final against Spurs due to the Premier League calendar.

Ruben Amorim's men are set to take on Chelsea on May 16, with Spurs originally scheduled to face Aston Villa on May 18.

However, as reported by The Telegraph's Matt Law, Villa vs Spurs is set to be moved to the same night as Chelsea vs United.

As a result, United's advantage of having more preparation time for the Europa League final is set to be wiped out.

Law wrote on social media: "Aston Villa v Spurs to be moved to Friday May 16, 7.30pm kick off.

"That means Spurs and Man Utd will have same preparation time for a Europa League final should they both get there. PL announcement expected today."

Speaking ahead of United's second leg against Bilbao, manager Amorim said: "We are losing games in the Premier League, but we are fighting for the Europa League so we need to accept that and to think about now Thursday which is the most important game for us.

"We know that we need to win and we need to fight to win this competition [the Europa League] to give something to our fans and to go to the Champions League."

New footage has emerged which shows what Arne Slot did during Harvey Elliott's bust-up with Richarlison.

On Sunday afternoon, Anfield was in full party mode as Liverpool arrived knowing a point against Tottenham Hotspur would secure the Premier League title.

Slot's men ended up winning 5-1 thanks to strikes from Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo, and Mohamed Salah, plus an own goal from Destiny Udogie. Former Reds striker Dominic Solanke netted the opener for the visitors.

During the closing stages, Elliott and Spurs forward Richarlison, who used to play for Everton, were involved in a slight altercation as the pair were booked by the referee.

Now, footage from fans inside the crowd has captured the reaction of Reds boss Slot.

As shown in the video, the Dutchman was seen turning away with a wry smile as Elliott was booked by the official.

Reacting on social media, one fan said: "Dominik Szoboszlai and Arne Slot found Richarlison's tiff with Harvey Elliott rather amusing!"

Another tweeted: "Loved this, Szobo laughing his head off, Slot even smiling in the background."

A third fan joked: "Slot got one more reason to bench him (Elliott) now." You can watch the footage below.

Reflecting on Liverpool's Premier League triumph, Slot said: "What I noticed from the first day I came in was that winning the league would be the most special trophy we could win.

"I think I felt that throughout the whole season. Although we were all very disappointed when we were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain, we always felt there was a bigger goal to achieve."

He continued: "To do that in the most difficult league in the world in a period of time where it gets harder and harder to win it is very special."

Although they are already in party mode, Liverpool are back in Premier League action this weekend when they take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.

Richarlison has brutally hit back at Harvey Elliott on social media after he was spotted taunting the former Evertonian as Liverpool won the Premier League.

With a dominant 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, Liverpool won the 2024/25 Premier League title, taking the club to a record 20 English league titles.

Late in the match, Liverpool forward Elliott was brought onto the pitch to enjoy the occasion and see out the game, and in doing so, he was spotted having a back and forth with Spurs striker Richarlison.

And now, the Brazilian has hit back at Elliott on social media with a brutal comment mocking the Liverpool star.

Elliott replaced Luis Diaz, who scored Liverpool's first goal of the match, in the 76th minute and quickly got involved, firing off a couple of shots as Liverpool looked for another goal to see off the game.

But as the match was coming to an end in the 94th minute, the 22-year-old clashed with Richarlison who, given the result for Spurs and the four years that he played for Everton, was understandably frustrated as full-time approached.

Richarlison grabbed Elliott, leading to the Englishman hitting back by shoving his opponent before being pulled away by teammate Curtis Jones while he held up a three and a zero to mock the Spurs forward.

Reacting to a TikTok breaking down the moment and asking why Elliott held up 3 and zero, Richarlison commented: "He wants to reach 30 goals in his career I think."

Due to a lack of minutes at Liverpool, Elliott has only scored 14 goals across 143 appearances for the Reds, with a further seven goals for Blackburn Rovers, who he joined on a season-long loan in October 2020.

Meanwhile, Richarlison has scored 106 goals in 368 appearances for several clubs throughout his career, with 20 of them being for Spurs and 53 for Everton.

Fans appear to disagree on what exactly it was the Elliott was referencing in the moment, with some claiming that he was mocking the fact that Everton have gone 30 years without a major honour, and others claiming it is because Liverpool have now beaten Spurs three times this season.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering appointing a shock name if they decide to part ways with current manager Ange Postecoglu at the end of the season.

With Tottenham Hotspur currently on track for one of their worst Premier League seasons in recent years, manager Postecoglu is clearly at risk of losing his job.

As it stands, Spurs are 16th in the Premier League table, with the Australian manager's last chance to deliver on his promise to win a trophy this season being the Europa League.

But, with some journalists claiming that Postecoglu will be sacked regardless of the result of the Europa League campaign, a new report has revealed a shock name that Tottenham are considering bringing in as their new manager.

Tottenham has perhaps the best chance in recent years to end their 17-year trophy drought as they head into a Europa League semi-final against Norwegian side FK Bodo/Glimt.

However, even if Spurs can win the semi-final and beat either Manchester United or Athletic Club in the final, Postecoglu could find himself out of a job, and according to GiveMeSport, he could be replaced by Frank Lampard.

Despite lacklustre spells in the Premier League managing former club Chelsea and Everton, Lampard has turned his managerial career around at Coventry, taking the championship club on their best run 1970.

According to the report, this impressive form has been noticed by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who has added Lampard's name to a shortlist that also includes former manager Jose Mourinho.

However, if Lampard were to accept a potential offer to return to the Premier League with Spurs, he would no doubt burn a lot of bridges with Chelsea fans.

Not to mention, the Englishman would also be contracdicting promise that he made in 2019.

During his first spell as Chelsea manager, Lampard was asked if he would ever take charge of Spurs one day, to which he replied: "I can firmly say no. And you can replay that it ten years, or whenever you want! No, it wouldn't happen.

"I wouldn't manage Tottenham, and that's no disrespect to Tottenham,

"I've got a lot of friends who are Tottenham fans and Arsenal fans. But sometimes there are feelings when you are in it about some things that you wouldn't do."

The Premier League have issued a statement regarding tonight’s match between Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest following Pope Francis’ death.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, passed away at 05:35 am (BST) on Monday (April 21), according to a statement released by Cardinal Kevin Farrell on behalf of the Vatican.

"This morning at 07:35 local time (05:35 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father," read the statement.

"He taught us to live the values ​​of the Gospel with fidelity, courage and universal love, especially in favour of the poorest and most marginalised.

"With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God."

Shortly after, it was confirmed by Serie A that all four of Monday's scheduled fixtures - Torino vs Udinese, Cagliari vs Fiorentina, Genoa vs Lazio and Parma vs Juventus - had been postponed.

A statement posted to the league’s official social media channels read: “Following the passing of His Holiness, Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A can confirm that today's league games in Serie A and Primavera 1 have been postponed. The date of the rearranged fixtures will be announced in due course.”

Tributes from several football clubs from around the world began pouring in, with AS Roma stating that “his legacy of peace and solidarity will remain an enduring example.”

Real Madrid's squad held a minute silence at their Real Madrid City training centre, and a statement posted to the club's website described the late Pope as an "enormous spirit of solidarity and support for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people".

While Barcelona, Lazio and Juventus also expressed their condolences, just to name a few of the many clubs that paid homage to the 88-year-old.

Later this evening, Tottenham Hotspur will host Nottingham Forest at the Tottenham Stadium in the Premier League.

When SPORTbible contacted the Premier League about whether a tribute would take place, the organisation issued the following statement:

“We are not planning anything centrally, but the clubs can of course decide if they want to do any tributes.”

This is a breaking news story from the team at SPORTbible and will be updated in due course. In the meantime, please follow us on our various social channels for the latest information on this story. You can find the latest SPORT news on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Stay tuned for the latest and follow all the latest developments below.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Tottenham have 'opened talks' with a Premier League manager to replace Ange Postecoglou but face paying a 'record compensation' fee.

Spurs have struggled for form under Postecoglou this season as they have recorded just 37 league points and sit in 14th place in the Premier League table.

Pressure is mounting on the 59-year-old, who was appointed in the summer of 2023.

Spurs, though, remain in the Europa League and face Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals, with the first-leg taking place on Thursday.

But the Australian gaffer believes he won't win over his critics even if he does win the Europa League.

"I just think you can't win the argument of convincing people. Even if we win [the Europa League], I am gone anyway," he said in his pre-match press conference. "That's just the general sentiment of the people. If you try to use that as a motivation, you are not going to win anyway.

"It's got to be something more in it for us. For us, what's most important is that we have been through a tough time but we are still in a position to make an impact."

Should Spurs relieve Postecoglou of his duties, then Daniel Levy will be tasked with making a huge appointment.

And it appears Levy's search won't leave the English capital as German outlet Sport Bild claim the North London outfit have 'begun talks' with Oliver Glasner's representatives.

Crystal Palace boss Glasner is also wanted by RB Leipzig, who sacked Marco Rose last month.

But the report claims Spurs 'can offer a higher salary' to Glasner than Leipzig.

However, Spurs face paying Palace a 'record compensation' of £86 million, which was the figure mooted when Bayern Munich were keen on bringing Glasner to the Allianz Arena.

A similar fee would likely be demanded by Palace chairman Steve Parish if he were to let the Austrian join Spurs.

Glasner arrived at Selhurst Park in February 2024, replacing Roy Hodgson. He is contracted until June 2026.

This season, Palace have won 11 league games and sit in 11th place in the table. The Eagles are also in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Manchester City star Jack Grealish has been linked with a shock club ahead of the summer transfer window.

Back in the summer of 2021, Grealish left boyhood club Aston Villa to join City for a reported fee of £100 million, which was the most expensive transfer of an English player in history.

Since then, the 29-year-old has struggled to rediscover his best form.

So far, Grealish has only scored 16 goals in 151 appearances for City.

This season, the Englishman only has two goals and five assists in 26 matches across all competitions.

As a result, Grealish has been linked with a move away from City ahead of the summer transfer window.

As reported by Give Me Sport, Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur have shown interest in signing Grealish.

The report stated: "Jack Grealish’s valuation and ongoing role at Man City are being assessed and the club are expecting suitors to knock at the door this summer, with Tottenham among those most interested parties.

"Tottenham are being linked with a surprise move this summer, and explorations into that have been interesting."

It has been suggested Spurs were interested during the January transfer window but there was 'never a real chance' of a deal happening in the winter.

In addition, the report stated that although Spurs' interest in Grealish is genuine, it relies on City's valuation being more reasonable than it has been over the last 12 months.

Spurs have a strict wage structure in place with their star players reportedly earning no more than £200,000 per week.

This could be a problem as it has been claimed that Grealish is currently taking home around £300,000 per week at City.

Aside from Spurs, Italian Serie A giants AC Milan are also said to be interested in the Englishman.

Spurs have so far had a season to forget as they are currently sat in 14th place in the Premier League.

Manager Ange Postecoglou is under increasing pressure to turn the club's fortunes around.

Mathys Tel was forced to apologise to Spurs fans and delete a social media post after accidentally 'crossing the line' with some of the club's fanbase.

The 19-year-old joined Spurs in January after initially turning them down in one of the more eventful Premier League transfer sagas in recent times which also linked Tel to Man United.

Despite being hailed as a major coup when putting pen to paper, Tel hasn't really had the impact expected with his only goal for the club coming in an FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa.

The Frenchman's off-field antics also haven't been too successful as his latest social media post has created uproar in sections of the Spurs faithful.

The Bayern Munich loanee posed on Instagram wearing a 'Willian' Fulham shirt, a player who has rather controversial links to the North London club.

Back in 2013, the Brazilian looked certain to arrive at White Hart Lane, before the deal was hijacked by local rivals Chelsea where Willian would play until 2020.

The Fulham man would even go on to describe snubbing Spurs as the 'best decision' of his career.

To rub salt into the wounds of Spurs fans, Willian then went on to join Arsenal for the 2020/21 season, so it's no real surprise Tel's post didn't go down too well.

Following the backlash, Tel replied to fans saying 'Ahaha sorry my bad guys I didn't know', before swiftly deleting the post.

Despite Tel's apology it didn't stop fans from slamming the star on social media.

One fan posted on X: "How do footballers not realise that this goes down like a lead balloon..."

Another called for his loan to be terminated, writing: "Send him back to BM asap. Give Moore some playing time please, Mr. Ange."

A third added: "People trying to defend him looooool, we’ve recently lost 2-0 to Fulham, to then rep William who mugged us off for Chelsea."

However, it wasn't all negativity from the Spurs fanbase, with a lot of fans believing Tel had no ill intentions due to his age and lack of connection to the club.

One fan defended Tel: "Who cares lol why would he know the connotations William has with our club."

Another explained: "How would he know about a transfer that happened 12 or 13 years ago when he was a literal child and lived in a different country?"

Tel even received praise from some fans, with one posting: "Fair play to him for deleting it straight away. The guy clearly didn't know. Top geezer."

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly picked out two leading contenders to replace under-fire Ange Postecoglou.

On Sunday afternoon, Spurs returned to Premier League action as they travelled to Craven Cottage to take on London rivals Fulham.

Postecoglou's men produced a below-par display as goals from Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon sealed a vital 2-0 win.

The defeat meant that Spurs are now 14th in the Premier League table, a long way off their rivals.

After the match, under-pressure boss Postecoglou had to be held back by his own player as he confronted an angry fan in the stands.

"What was that?!" A fan could be heard shouting at the Australian manager, who fired back.

As Postecoglou delivered his own outburst, he was held back by Djed Spence and Mathys Tel, who could be heard asking for respect.

On Monday, it was claimed that Spurs have identified two potential replacements if they are to part ways with Postecoglou.

Spurs indentify two potential replacements for Ange Postecoglou

As reported by The Telegraph, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola and Fulham manager Marco Silva will be among the leading candidates to replace Postecoglou.

The report stated: "Bournemouth are expected to fight to try to keep Iraola, but there are doubts emerging over Silva’s future at Fulham, despite the superb job he has done at Craven Cottage."

It has been suggested that the Europa League is a critical factor in deciding Postecoglou's future, with Spurs set to take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the last eight.

Iraola is also the bookies' favourite to replace Postecoglou, having been priced at 2/1, the Spaniard is followed by the likes of Mauricio Pochettino (7/2), Thomas Frank (4/1), Silva (8/1) and Kieran McKenna (8/1). All odds were correct at the time of writing.

Speaking after the match against Fulham, Postecoglou said: "I said to the players I'm not going to allow anyone to think about Europa and nothing else.

"We can't let this league season go the way it has. We have lost way too many games. Unacceptable."