Arsenal moves forward with Emirates Stadium expansion following Manchester United's announcement
Arsenal has been playing at their current stadium since relocating from Highbury. At the t...
Arsenal has been playing at their current stadium since relocating from Highbury. At the time of the move, it was the second-largest stadium in the Premier League, with only Manchester United's Old Trafford being bigger.
But the Emirates' capacity of 60,704 has since been surpassed by the new stadia that Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have moved into, as well as the huge expansion Liverpool have undertaken at Anfield.
Transport and infrastructure pose questions for Arsenal on Emirates expansion
That has prompted Arsenal to consider how they might be able to get more bums in seats in their own ground - which, naturally, means adding more seats for those posteriors to fill.
And just a few days after Manchester United released the first concept first images came out of their proposed Jetsonsesque 100,000 capacity stadium, a report in the Daily Mail suggests that Arsenal have been handed a potential route forward to do some construction work of their own.
The Mail write that an architectural firm has recently given the club a few ideas as to how they could set about expanding the Emirates.
There would still be a way to go before that can happen. It's believed that any expansion would require the extension of at least one nearby Tube station - Holloway Road - to go ahead, which would need funding.
Get FourFourTwo NewsletterContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.The impact on any redevelopment on the area around the stadium would also need to be considered.
Islington Council and Transport for London are thus likely to have to give approval for any such project.
However, the Mail present the optimistic suggestion that if things move quickly, the work could be targeted to be completed by summer 2028, with the stadium not set to be used at Euro 2028.
That would require Arsenal to be speedy about getting things moving, however: Manchester City's own north stand expansion is forecast to take three and a half years to complete.
However, Liverpool's work at Anfield suggests it can be done. Their expansion of the main stand took just less than two years to complete (2014-2016).
Their expansion of the Anfield Road End meanwhile went from planning permission to completion in just over three years, despite the original construction company going into administration towards the end of the project.
