Tottenham to Extend Wembley Stay if Stadium is Delayed

Tottenham Hotspur have yet to finalize a deal to use Wembley Stadium for the 2017-18 season and hosting Champions League games next year. But should their new stadium be delayed, Spurs are prepared to extend their stay at Wembley, should they secure it.

In what could only be perceived as good news (bad news for those who wanted to see the brand new stadium opened in a timely fashion), Tottenham have a backup plan in place, just in case their new ground isn’t ready yet.

Spurs’ backup plan is to potentially extend their stay at Wembley Stadium for more than one season should development on their brand new stadium, which is set to open ahead of the 2018-19 season (projected date), be delayed according to the London Evening Standard.

Currently, construction work has already begun, but whether they’ll be done in time is a different story. Still, the projected date is two years away so it should be completed.

Then again, staying at Wembley isn’t a bad option as Tottenham will remain in London. Rather than playing in Milton Keynes at MK Dons’ Stadium mk.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 26: Supporters walk past a fence displaying an image of the proposed new stadium before the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at White Hart Lane on October 26, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Moving on, The Times‘ has an interesting piece of information regarding a proposed deal between the Football Association and Tottenham.

It’s already known that both sides are working together to keep Spurs in London when they have to move out of White Hart Lane during the 2017-18 season.

At the same time, with certain sections of White Hart Lane being taken down to help speed up construction work, UEFA requires that clubs who are participating in European football must have a set amount of seats for fans to attend.

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White Hart Lane would see their seats fall under 30,000 if they hosted Champions League games next year because of construction work happening in and around the stadium. Therefore this has prompted the Lilywhites to seek out the FA and grant them permission to use Wembley for Champions League matches only starting next year.

With six matches guaranteed, as they are the group stage fixtures only, The Times, indicates that a deal being worked out between Tottenham and the FA could net the Football Association £25 million should Spurs progress further in the Champions League.

If Tottenham don’t make it out of the group stage next season, then the FA won’t see any of that £25 million. It’s a gamble for sure, but with money obviously on the line for the FA, if they want that extra £25 million plus a reported £15 million per year, when Tottenham moves in full-time for the 2017-18 season, more or less this makes Spurs a likely tenant to use the national team’s ground starting next year.

Plus, with Chelsea not ready for the time being to redevelop Stamford Bridge and the fact that they’re not going to be playing in Europe, it only makes sense for the FA, from their perspective, to secure a deal as soon as possible with Tottenham.

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In the end, what should be bad news, technically speaking, because there’s a chance that Tottenham’s 61,000-seat stadium might be delayed for reasons unknown in the near future, despite construction work already started and no setbacks have been reported. The good news is that Wembley Stadium could be secured for more than one season, potentially. if there are any problems with construction on Spurs’ new ground.

It’s basically a no-brainer and a win-win situation for both parties.

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