Tottenham will move out of White Hart Lane for one season after announcing a delay in the construction of their new stadium.
The club overcame a major hurdle in July when the government approved a compulsory purchase order allowing work to begin on a new 56,250-capacity stadium next to the existing ground. However, seven years of negotiations with one landowner are still to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
The delays have led to a revised construction schedule, with the shortest build time meaning Spurs must leave White Hart Lane to allow the new stadium to be built.
The club said in a statement: “We should like to advise supporters that it is highly unlikely we shall be able to open the new stadium at the start of the 2017-2018 season.
“The club has revised its construction programme in order to take the shortest possible time to construct. This now therefore involves the club moving away from the Lane during construction for a period of one season, to start at the beginning of a season in order to comply with Premier League rules. We are currently undertaking due diligence on alternative stadium options.”
In 2011, Tottenham lost out to West Ham in a bid to move to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. Whether sharing the Olympic Stadium with West Ham, who move to the site in 2016, is an option remains to be seen.
