Chelsea are fighting Tottenham for the right to play at Wembley Stadium while work is done on Stamford Bridge, Daniel Levy has confirmed to the Tottenham Hotspurs Supporters’ Trust, as quoted by The Telegraph. Both London clubs were eager to be able to play there – Tottenham for a season, Chelsea for at least three – and are in negotiations to land the country’s national ground, while Levy has now confirmed that The Blues have offered to pay for four years, taking into account any delays on the expected three-year reconstruction of the ground they’ve occupied in West London since 1905.
The prospect of Chelsea playing at Wembley for four years is believed to be more attractive to the Football Association than Tottenham playing there for one, as, while both clubs are offering £15 million per year they occupy, this totals around £60m for the FA for letting Chelsea use the ground. This is believed to put Spurs at a disadvantage, with The Blues also not keen on the idea of sharing the ground for one season. However, the FA are looking into the possibility of this, and discussions have been postponed until those inquisitions have taken place.
Daniel Levy also confirmed to the Tottenham Hotspurs Supporters’ Trust that they are looking into other options should they be unable to play at Wembley for a year, and indicated sharing with MK Dons is a possibility, if an unpopular one. The fact that Spurs are looking at other places they could play could indicate that they’re not confident about reaching any sort of deal to groundshare with Chelsea for one year, and that The Blues are one step closer to locating their new temporary home.
