Spurs beat Arsenal to Champions League: The transfer fall-out
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 22 May 2022 17:49 BST
- 4 min read
Tottenham have beaten Arsenal to the fourth and final Champions League spot in the Premier League on the final day of the 2021/22 season.
Spurs went into their match against Norwich City at Carrow Road only needing a draw to finish fourth and comfortably beat the already-relegated Canaries.
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This meant that Arsenal’s result against Everton was rendered irrelevant.
This outcome will naturally have a big knock-on effect on the summer transfer window. We take a look at five consequences.
Antonio Conte stays at Spurs
The biggest consequence of Tottenham qualifying for the Champions League is that Antonio Conte will now almost certainly stay at the club next season.
The Italian has done a miraculous job in north London, taking a team that was closer to mid-table when he arrived up into fourth.
But had Spurs only made it into the Europa League, there was a good chance he would have left. His contract only runs until 2023, although there is an option to extend that by another year.
Of course, it will be up to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to satisfy Conte with a big summer transfer market as the Italian has twice quit former clubs (Juventus and Inter) in pre-season when he’s been unhappy with a market.
Harry Kane stays at Spurs
With Conte staying, Harry Kane will also surely pledge his future to Tottenham.
The England number nine was desperate to quit the club a year ago, putting in a transfer request and trying to force a move through to Manchester City.
In the end, Levy refused to even talk to City and Kane was forced to stay.
The 28-year-old has taken his game to another level under Conte and has heaped praise on the Italian and just how much he enjoys playing for him.
With there very few realistic destinations for Kane anyway, there appears to be no reason for Kane to want out this summer.
Top players don’t want to join Arsenal
Arsenal were the biggest spenders in all of Europe a year ago, splashing out over €150 million on new players.
Much of this cash was spent on mostly young players, who have shown themselves to lack the experience to get Arsenal over the top-four line late in the season.
The plan going into this summer was to supplement many of these promising youngsters with established stars.
However, the failure to qualify for the Champions League means that top-class players will likely look elsewhere. Will Gabriel Jesus want to play in the Europa League? Will Victor Osimhen?
Futures of Saka & Gabriel at risk
The top-four failure also raises doubts over the futures of some current Arsenal players.
Juventus have already opened talks with the entourage of Brazilian defender Gabriel, who is said to be unsure whether Arsenal can fulfil his ambitions.
Bukayo Saka is one of the most promising young players in the country but has still not signed a new contract, amidst reports he could leave for a top club.
And William Saliba – on-loan at Marseille - has spoken publicly about his desire to be playing in the Champions League next season. Will he push for a permanent exit?
Pressure piled on Arteta and Edu
And then, of course, there is the futures of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and transfer chief Edu.
Both figures were under massive pressure going into last season, with calls for them to be sacked.
The pressure eased when Arsenal looked like they were going to qualify for the Champions League.
But a late-season collapse means that the knives are out again. Any false start in the transfer window or at the start of next season and the heat will be unbearable.
