Former Arsenal star and current Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith has said that Tottenham’s new stadium will be a “huge” advantage to the club between now and the end of the season.
The Lilywhites have had to extend their temporary residence at Wembley after troubles moving into their new ground – which was supposed to be completed back in September – but will finally play their first game in their brand new surroundings in April.
Asked whether the switch could cause problems for Spurs, Smith insisted it would be a boost, rather than a blow, to leave Wembley.
The former Gunner told Sky Sports’ The Debate (18/03, 22:00): “They’ll get a huge lift. As Emma (Hayes) said all the lads will be sick and tired of Wembley. That is why Spurs are so keen to move.
“(What if they lose?) They could have lost anyway. (With) 62,000, so much closer to the pitch, all the fans mad for it. It’s going to be deafening in that stadium up until the end of the season, it’s got to be an advantage for Spurs.
“It’s been such an unusual situation.”
Opinion
Everyone seems to be expecting Tottenham to flourish in their new stadium and while the fans might be bouncing, there must be questions over how the players are going to adapt. You just have to look over the road in north London at Arsenal to see how a new ground can impact on a team’s performances, the first season at the Emirates hardly smooth sailing for the Gunners. Of course there have been delays at Spurs and it has ramped up the excitement of finally moving in to new levels, so it could actually work out in the club’s favour. It will be an incredible atmosphere and Mauricio Pochettino, Daniel Levy and all the other top brass at Tottenham will be hoping that their new chapter of history can get off to a flying start. The world will be watching – so can Spurs live up to expectations? Only time will tell.