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UNAI EMERY'S ASTON VILLA MISSED OUT ON A COVETED TOP-FIVE PREMIER LEAGUE FINISH TO END THE SEASON, AND THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THEIR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HEARTBREAK IS TELLING 09:32, 02 Jun

2025 The cost of Aston Villa agonisingly missing out on Champions League football has been exposed with a telling financial statistic regarding other UEFA competitions. Unai Emery's

side entered the final day of this Premier League season in sixth, potentially only needing a draw to secure their spot in Europe's premier club tournament ahead of either Chelsea or

Newcastle as they faced Manchester United. Yet, such hopes were moderately dashed after 45 minutes when the onrushing Emiliano Martinez took out Rasmus Hojlund and was given his marching

orders by referee Thomas Bramall. A controversial 72nd-minute decision to rule out a goal by Morgan Rogers, who the official deemed kicked the ball out of Red Devils goalkeeper Altay

Bayindir's hands before slotting it home with the score level, added to their misery. Later, the club wrote to the PGMOL to raise concerns over referee selection. United's Amad

made it 1-0 on 76 minutes, and an 87th-minute Christian Eriksen penalty sealed the Villans' fate, and meant that they'd star in the Europa League next term, with Newcastle

finishing one place above them on mere goal difference. The mouth-watering prize money associated with playing in the Champions League has now been illuminated after a statistic regarding

Europa Conference League winners Chelsea and the club that finished one place away from the bottom of the elite competition this time out, Slovan Bratislava, came to light. Article continues

below Enzo Maresca's Blues eased to the Conference League title this term, winning 12 of their 13 matches in the tournament proper. A 4-1 demolition of Real Betis in the final mirrored

such dominance. Chelsea were rewarded with a reported £18.5million for their exploits. The Slovakian champions, on the other hand, who lost every one of their eight Champions League group

phase matches, staggeringly earned a near-similar amount. They pocketed £15.5m for just qualifying for the competition itself, and extra sums were earned for finishing in a specific league

position, and from broadcast revenue based on a ten-year club coefficient ranking. A total of £18.46m was accumulated by the side who finished 35th in the Champions League table, a figure

similar to that earned by the winners of the Conference League. The wound-licking Villans will feel such an indicative gap regarding prize money, though they will be strutting their stuff in

the Europa League next campaign. Article continues below Spurs, the competition's winners this season, secured £3.6m when they qualified for the Europa League and earned

performance-related amounts and their coefficient share of broadcast revenue en route to the final. All in all, for winning the tournament, Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham banked roughly

£35m, and a further £3m for making it to the UEFA Super Cup. Not to mention the amounts tied to subsequent Champions League qualification. However, this figure still pales in comparison to

the purse of eventual Champions League winners PSG, who scooped around £130m for their triumph in Munich.