‘Let’s face it’, ‘no chance’: Paul Merson has just made a prediction about Tottenham next season

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Paul Merson has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte is an elite manager, but even with him at the helm, Spurs have no chance of going all the way in the Champions League next season.

The top-four race was a very tight one this term and was only settled on the final day of the campaign. Arsenal were in the driving seat for a long time, but it was Tottenham who stepped up when it was most needed.

Spurs finished fourth and they will be in the Champions League next season. Conte is set to stay at the club and so is Harry Kane, while Son Heung-min looks better than he has ever been before.

Tottenham’s defence has looked solid as well under the Italian, and Daniel Levy has also reportedly agreed to sanction four or five new signings this summer. That will surely make Spurs a very dangerous side. However, Merson still believes they’ll achieve nothing in the Champions League next season.

Paul Merson: There’s no chance Tottenham will win Champions League

The Englishman wrote on The Daily Star: “Mikel Arteta needs to prove he can be an elite manager like Antonio Conte next season. But he must make a success of Arsenal’s biggest transfer window in years first.

“Conte beat Arteta to a top-four spot. But it won’t hurt Arsenal watching Tottenham in the Champions League. This game is all about winning stuff. And let’s face it, Spurs have no chance of winning that competition. Zilcho.

Get third in your group and try and win the Europa League. All it is, is a money-spinner, the Champions League.

“Fair play to them though. Spurs did what they had to do. Played well. And got over the line. But they’ve got an elite manager. They’re very fortunate.”

TBR View:

Tottenham are a long way off even getting close to winning the Champions League, but the same was said three years ago when they made it to the final of the competition.

That squad was arguably a lot inferior to what Spurs have now, while Conte, in our opinion, is a level above Mauricio Pochettino, the man who led them to the final in 2019.

We agree with Merson here, it’s almost impossible to even imagine Tottenham winning the Champions League next season. However, if a miracle happens and they somehow make it into the final like they did three years ago, you would back Conte to bring it home.

It will be interesting to see how Spurs will fare next season, but their best chance of silverware could well be the Europa League – if they finish third in the group stage of the Champions League and drop down.