Arsenal are exploring options to increase the capacity of Emirates Stadium beyond 70,000 as the 20th anniversary of their move from Highbury approaches, according to The Telegraph.
The Gunners home ground is currently a 60,700-capacity, and plans are on the cards to increase its capacity and make it the biggest ground in London.
As a result, Arsenal could move their home matches temporarily to Wembley Stadium.
The North London club left Highbury for Emirates back in August 2006, and they are now planning to celebrate two decades in their current home next summer.
They used to own the biggest ground in London before West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur overtook them.
An expanded ground would see them increase capacity to above 70,000, and they could overtake Manchester United’s ground Old Trafford (74,879) in the Premier League stadium capacity rankings.
West Ham United’s London Stadium has a capacity of 62,850, Tottenham Hotspur’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a 62,500-capacity, while Liverpool’s Anfield hosts 61,276 fans.
Arsenal currently have the fifth biggest stadium in the Premier League but will need to increase its capacity as their season ticket waiting list now stands in excess of 100,000.
Wembley – England’s national football stadium – is the largest sports venue in the UK with a 90,000-seat capacity.
It would be a perfect temporary home as the Gunners look to expand Emirates, with the club open to changing the gradient of the stands or adapting the stadium’s seating plan to fit in more spectators.
However, the Emirates’ outer bowl would remain similar in appearance, with most of the upgrades likely to happen within the ground.
Increasing the capacity of their home ground would help boost their finances as it would help add tens of millions in annual revenue.
Real Madrid doubled their matchday income following their recent upgrade to the Santiago Bernabeu, generating €241 million in the most recent accounting year.
Expanding Emirates will be hugely beneficial to Arsenal and they are leaving no stones unturned in their bid to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Europe.
