The Premier League is reportedly pushing for Tottenham Hotspur to commit to a set of at least five league games at its heavily-delayed new stadium, or play at Wembley for the entire campaign.
The latest development comes after Tottenham yesterday (Thursday) confirmed that its Premier League match against North London rival Arsenal on March 2 will be played at Wembley, ensuring the earliest possible opening date for its new stadium will be March 17.
Tottenham had been due to move into the new stadium back in September but the opening date has been pushed back a number of times due to problems with the ground’s safety systems. The Evening Standard newspaper has today reported the Premier League ultimatum, adding that talks have taken place between the League and senior club officials over identifying a specific target to work towards rather than updating on a game-by-game basis.
Spurs insist that there has been no requirement of five matches by the Premier League, which is understood to be pushing for a significant portion of the season to be played at the 62,062-seat venue rather than one or two games.
The Standard added that the League has yet to issue a formal ultimatum as it is keen to not portray a position that would deter other clubs from engaging in stadium developments.
Tottenham is due to play Crystal Palace at home in the Premier League on March 17. However, should Palace progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals this match would have to be rearranged. Palace plays Doncaster Rovers a week on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.
Tottenham’s next scheduled home match after that is against Brighton & Hove Albion on April 6, another club that is still in the FA Cup, with the semi-finals of the competition due to be played at Wembley that weekend.
Image: Tottenham Hotspur
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