Despite falling to a 12th-place finish in the Premier League, West Ham United will play in the Europa League next season after finishing first in the fair-play rankings.
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The Hammers, who parted ways with Sam Allardyce only three minutes after the final whistle of their last EPL match against Newcastle United, have secured an unlikely spot in Europe after finishing first in the fair-play charts.
The East London side enjoyed a magnificent start to the campaign, and looked well-placed to challenge for a Europa League place at the mid-point of the campaign.
However, the side’s motivation appeared to fade as the season wore on, while certain injury concerns affected the team’s progress.
Ultimately, the Irons slumped out of the top half, but have still secured themselves a spot in the Europe’s second-tier continental club competition.
West Ham will secure a spot in the first qualification round and will begin their unexpected European campaign in July, according to L’Equipe.
By then, the club will be expected to have a new manager in place, with the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo, Marcelo Bielsa and Rafael Benitez among some of the names to be linked to the job.