Former Tottenham Hotspur player Robbie Keane speaks out on Spurs’ Champions League hopes at the end of the season
Speaking after the FA Cup win against Brighton, as quoted by Football.london, Tottenham Hotspur legend Robbie Keane said that securing UEFA Champions League qualification is important for the club if they are to attract new faces in the summer and boost their squad.
The former Lilywhites striker, who won a League Cup during his time in north London, was speaking after his old club ran out 3-1 winners against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup. With this, the club sealed their progress to the fifth round of the knockout competition and took one step closer to getting their hands on silverware at the end of the season.
Keane was full of praise for Spurs, saying that if the club repeated their performance against the Seagulls in the Premier League, they would do well to secure a top-four finish and get into the Champions League.
“If they play like that, certainly the first half, they’ll win a lot more games than they lose. They’re only a couple points off Man United with a couple of games in hand. I think for Tottenham this season, if they can win a trophy, the FA Cup and get into the Champions League, I think that’s a very very successful season.”
Spurs currently sit seventh in the Premier League table. However, they stand a very good chance of sneaking into fourth place, with the north London club only 2 points from securing Champions League qualification. The side also has 2 games in hand over 4th-placed Manchester United.
UCL can help in signings
The January transfer window was relatively quiet for Spurs for the most part, till the club got caught up in a deadline day rush as they managed to bring in Juventus pair Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur. The duo also managed to make their debuts for the club in last night’s FA Cup clash against Brighton.
After this piece of business in the winter, Keane now believes that a Champions League badge on Spurs’ jersey would help bring in more players to the club in the summer, highlighting the importance of a top-four finish for the side.
“I think the Champions League is huge for Tottenham. For [Antonio] Conte signing new players in the summer, if you have the Champions League that’ll attract them.”
It is no surprise that boss Antonio Conte has come in and turned the season around for Spurs, with the Italian renowned for his tactics all over the world. The manager has turned Spurs into a more solid team over the months, and the club genuinely looks like they stand a chance to gain the FA Cup at the end of the season if they keep up their current run in the competition.
Despite signing Kulusevski and Bentancur in January, Conte will surely want more signings in the summer as he looks to bolster his squad in every department possible. The side seems to have done well in recruiting quality midfield options and can now look to get defensive and attacking reinforcements in the summer.
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Keane, however, has a point about UCL qualification being very important for Spurs as a target to achieve by the end of the season. Every top player in the world dreams of playing in the world’s best competitions, and there is nothing that comes above the Champions League in European club football.
Given this, Conte will be desperate for the team to secure UCL football next season and urge his side to finish the rest of the campaign strongly. Reinforcements will be necessary if we are to turn the current squad into world-beaters, and the lure of the Champions League is sure to help us get top talents into the club in the summer.
