Every Tottenham Hotspur fan knows how good Daniel Levy is when it comes to negotiations. Will he be as good when it comes to advising competitors? Chelsea will soon find out as the Blues want the Supporters’ Trust to speak with their counterparts at Tottenham to find out what problems Spurs have endured while using Wembley as their temporary home.
The Sun reports that the Premier League Champions are moving ahead with their plans of knocking down their existing ground and building a new £500m stadium on the site.
The new stadium is being planned to be ready for the start of the 2021/22 season and the Blues are currently looking at alternatives for choosing their temporary home as they face an exile from Stamford Bridge.
The choices up for consideration are Wembley – the national stadium is an obvious choice, Twickenham, and the London Stadium. Chelsea want to ensure that they are completely prepared for the change when they move out of Stamford Bridge.
And who better to ask than their derby rivals Tottenham, who have already experienced the change this season! Spurs are currently using the Wembley as their temporary home while the new White Hart Lane Stadium gets completed in time for the 2018/19 season.
What Chelsea want is their own supporters’ group to work in tandem with Spurs and their fans to understand the experience of using Wembley. That wouldn’t necessarily mean the Blues would use the Wembley but the knowledge of working the modalities in using a temporary home would help them.
The report also states that the Blues could have a difficult decision to make as Twickenham was the most popular venue among fans for this temporary home. But convincing the home of England’s rugby team to allow football could be tricky, which means Wembley remains the most likely option to be chosen.
That’s where Chelsea want the Supporters’ Trust to chip in by talking to their counterparts from North London.
Trust chairman David Chidgey said: “With the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge more certain, supporters’ focus is now to ensure that their experience in it will improve, while avoiding the pitfalls experienced by other clubs who have built new stadiums.
“More pressing is the choice of stadium while Stamford Bridge is redeveloped and supporters are genuinely concerned about the possible locations and increased costs and inconvenience incurred while following the team as a result.”
Looks like Tottenham are about to set a new precedent not just on the field but also off it!