Arsenal wasn’t on pace to qualify for the Champions League, but if COVID-19 forces a cancellation of the Premier League season, the Gunners could sneak in.
One of the biggest questions facing the football world right now is whether the season will find a way to resume on time or not. If the COVID-19 situation continues for the foreseeable future, governing bodies might have no choice but to call the entire 2019-20 season void. For most clubs and fans, this would be devastating, but new reports suggest that the season being voided could actually benefit Arsenal somewhat in the long-term.
Let me first clarify that if the season was voided, Arsenal would lose out on a lot of broadcasting and matchday revenue, which would further cripple the club financially in the short-term. This would be bad news, as the Gunners are already struggling to keep up with the big dogs financially.
However, Arsenal has been trying desperately to get back into Champions League for years now, since falling out of the competition in 2016-17 after more than 20 years of consecutive qualification.
Now, it seems the Gunners could be handed a free pass into the next edition of the UEFA Champions League based on the UEFA club ranking coefficient, in the case that the 2019-20 Premier League season gets voided.
👑 The top 10 clubs in Europe according to UEFA coefficient
— Globe Soccer Awards (@Globe_Soccer) April 18, 2020
1️⃣ Real Madrid
2️⃣ Atlético de Madrid
3️⃣ FC Barcelona
4️⃣ FC Bayern
5️⃣ Juventus
6️⃣ Man City
7️⃣ Paris SG
8️⃣ Liverpool
9️⃣ Man United
🔟 Arsenal#HalaMadrid #Atleti #FCB #Bayern #Juventus #ManCity #PSG #YNWA #MUFC #COYG pic.twitter.com/cEHx60dH2o
The coefficient is calculated by using club performances in Europe over the last 5 years. In that regard, Arsenal place only behind Manchester City, Liverpool, and Manchester United. With the Premier League having 4 Champions League spots, Arsenal would make it in over both Spurs and Chelsea.
If Manchester City’s European ban stands, however, Spurs would enter into that top 4 bracket. Regardless of what happens, Chelsea would have to settle for a Europa League spot if the season becomes void.
Arsenal would come out extremely lucky in this scenario, although it remains an unlikely result. They simply were not on course to qualify for the Champions League yet again, and getting this qualification based on merit would alleviate the club’s finances in the long-term and perhaps get them up to par with some of their rivals on a few different fronts.