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Even though they were only 9th in the Premier League when the season was halted because of the coronavirus epidemic, Arsenal could still end up in the Champions League next season.
At the same time, Chelsea would drop down to the Europa League, where they would be joined by Spurs and Leicester. Wolves and Sheffield United, both above Arsenal in the current standings, would miss out altogether.
The idea has come from UEFA, who have been discussing with national federations plans to complete domestic seasons interrupted by the pandemic. Having previously insisted that all campaigns should be completed, they have now amended their stance, and allowed that league seasons could be cancelled in certain circumstances.
And, if that happens, one proposal is to use UEFA coefficients to determine who is eligible to compete in the two European competitions next season. Under that scenario, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal would take the Champions League places.
To add a further wrinkle, however, City are facing a two season ban for European competitions for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP rules). If that ban is upheld, then Spurs would be bumped up in to the Champions League, and Wolves in to the Europa League.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.