Tottenham: Why Manchester United's Champions League exit could be bad news for Spurs | OneFootball

As part of a revamped 36-team competition next season, the two countries whose clubs perform best in European competitions this season will receive an extra Champions League spot.

That means a fifth spot for Premier League clubs is up for grabs and Spurs, who are currently in fifth place in the Premier League, could benefit.

In the battle for the extra spot, the Premier League sits fourth after Tuesday night’s results, behind Italy, Germany and Spain. United’s exit is a blow to hopefuls Spurs and Aston Villa, whose Champions League ambitions could depend on the success of English clubs in Europe.

Newcastle's struggles are also not helping

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Arsenal and Manchester City are through to the knockout stage, however, and the Premier League will soon start racing up the rankings should they both go deep into the tournament.

West Ham, Liverpool, Brighton are all through to the knockout stage in the Europa League, while Villa themselves are favourites to win the Conference League.

The coefficient system is designed to assess the overall strength of leagues, so wins in the Champions League are not worth more.

Looking back at the previous five seasons, England and Spain would have taken seven of the 10 extra slots, so history suggests it is likely the Premier League will have five places in the Champions League next season.