Liverpool are in danger of missing out on Champions League football for the first time since Jurgen Klopp’s arrival at the club after a poor start to the season.
Defeat to Leeds United at Anfield last week left Jurgen Klopp’s side ninth, and they sit 16 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City heading into their clash with Antonio Conte’s Tottenham side on Sunday evening.
Should they lose, they could find themselves as far as 10 points off the top 4, and 13 points behind today’s opponents.
Klopp has already publicly conceded the title, and claimed after the defeat to Leeds that even a top four spot will be tough, admitting that his side were far too inconsistent to lay claim to one thus far this season.
And, barring an immense run of form in the Champions League, the failure to finish in the top four would lead to a massive loss of revenue as the Reds would no longer be rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite.
As per Goal, the run to the final last season earned them around £100m in prize money alone, while this season’s group stage has seen them pocket over £30m. While qualification for the round of 16 alone in the Champions League is worth over 9m euros, the Europa League teams earn just 1.2m euros for the same achievement, while the winner of the competition also receives 8.6m euros, compared to the close to 20m euros from the Champions League.
This loss of revenue, especially for a proudly self-sufficient side, would be devastating and would almost certainly rule out big additions such as Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, especially if the potential winnings that season are only a quarter of what they could have otherwise been.
