Ramon Vega may have congratulated Tottenham on their Europa League triumph, but the former defender is not convinced this side are Champions League material.
A lot has been made about who makes this year’s UEFA Champions League, with Arsene Wenger revealing he does not want Europa League winners in the Champions League.
The former Arsenal manager also added that he would rather the winners of the Europa League simply remain in the competition the following season, instead of being granted a place in the Champions League.
William Gallas, who played for both Arsenal and Tottenham, has also weighed in on the UCL qualification issue, stating that while he would rather win a trophy even if his team finished 17th, he is not entirely sure if Europa League winners should automatically be part of the Champions League.
Ramon Vega questions Champions League spot for Tottenham after Europa League win
Tottenham are champions of Europe after edging Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final, securing their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League.
But the debate around who truly deserves a spot in Europe’s elite competition has not died down, with former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega now airing his thoughts on the matter.
Vega took to X, formerly Twitter, to question whether this Spurs team genuinely warrants a seat at Europe’s top table.
He wrote: “And these teams qualify for the Champions League next season?? It must be a joke. I’m happy for Spurs to WIN a trophy, but CL Qualification???? Please don’t delude the game.”
Ange Postecoglou defends Spurs Champions League spot after Ramon Vega criticism
Ange Postecoglou has since had his say on Wenger’s opinion, stating that Tottenham are merely playing within the rules – the same rules that have long governed European qualification. Yet, because it is Spurs, the noise seems louder.
He remarked: “Well, I mean that is a debate that has been raging for years, like at least the last eight days. I have never heard that before, so… I have said it before, mate, Spurs does crazy things to people. It does, it does.
“You put that club into any sentence or any issue, and invariably, they all come out and try and diminish as much as they can. Why was there no issue before and now there is one? What is the difference? I do not understand what the difference is.
“Last year, fifth did not get you into the Champions League, this year it does. What does that mean? There are competition rules and the rules say that the winner goes into [the Champions League] and it is not the first year, and there is no asterisk against it that you have to do something else as well. But it is Spurs, mate, they love it. They love it. Oh, they love it, you love it, do you not?”