Is it really that prestigious? The old UEFA Cup was obviously a big deal back in the day, but since the European Cup expanded it's been dominated mostly by Iberian and Russian/Ukranian teams. It's rarely served as a springboard to something bigger -- that worked for Porto, but Sevilla have won it four times while having little CL success, and Zenit/Shakhtar/CSKA have hardly lit up the CL either. It provides valuable European experience, and some money, and some fun away journeys for the fans, but beyond that?
Apart from the CL qualification aspect think I'd rather win the FA Cup. The FA Cup means something. I don't know what the Europa League means now -- it's a tournament whose only real raison d'etre seems to be to fill a Thursday night TV slot. Do Liverpool fans look back more fondly on beating Alaves 5-4 in 2001 in the UEFA Cup Final or beating Arsenal 2-1 in the FA Cup final?
Apart from the CL qualification aspect think I'd rather win the FA Cup. The FA Cup means something. I don't know what the Europa League means now -- it's a tournament whose only real raison d'etre seems to be to fill a Thursday night TV slot. Do Liverpool fans look back more fondly on beating Alaves 5-4 in 2001 in the UEFA Cup Final or beating Arsenal 2-1 in the FA Cup final?