Football News | Arsenal considering using Wembley as a temporary home ground?

Interesting news coming out of the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal have held internal discussions about increasing the capacity of their ground.

Author | DJ

It is believed that Arsenal are considering using Wembley as a temporary base to enable work on the stadium.

The talks remain at an early stage, with no preferred approach yet agreed, though the possibility of playing home matches at Wembley while work is carried out has been considered.

Marking a milestone with an expanded ground?

Next year will mark 20 years since the Gunners moved from Highbury to the Emirates. It is understood that the discussions have included the potential to revise the seating layout to add thousands of seats as Arsenal seek to match the largest stadiums in the country.

With a capacity of 60,704, the Emirates is currently the fifth-largest stadium among English football clubs. Manchester United's Old Trafford is the largest, holding 74,879, followed by Tottenham Hotspur (62,850), West Ham United (62,500) and Liverpool (61,276).

Spurs played at Wembley back in 2018

Why are Arsenal doing this?

Increasing the capacity would help reduce the season ticket waiting list, which now exceeds 100,000, with some supporters having waited several years.

The proposed plan would also generate millions in additional revenue for the club, providing further support to meet Profit and Sustainability (PSR) and Financial Fair Play (FFP) requirements.

Logistical and finance issues

Arsenal's plan to expand the Emirates has gained momentum this year, but it is a complex project likely to involve every part of the stadium rather than a single stand. Major investment in the club’s stadium is expected to run into the hundreds of millions, with figures of around £500m being suggested.

The temporary move to the home of football would allow the club to alleviate immediate financial issues. 

This has actually happened before aswell. Due to the smaller capacity of Highbury, Arsenal played six Champions League fixtures at Wembley in 1998/99 and 1999/2000, winning just two. They some great memories of the re-developed stadium, with four FA Cup victories between 2014 until 2020.