Arsenal Football Club is reportedly considering a significant move that could see the team playing home matches at Wembley Stadium. This comes as part of internal discussions about expanding the capacity of their current home ground, Emirates Stadium.
The talks are still in their infancy, with no preferred plan on how to proceed yet decided. However, the possibility of relocating home matches to Wembley if work was to commence has been discussed. The Gunners have previously played Champions League matches at the old Wembley Stadium during both 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons.
Interestingly, this wouldn't be an unprecedented move among London clubs. Tottenham Hotspur made a similar decision when they played Champions League matches at the current Wembley during 2016-17 season. They continued using it for all 'home' fixtures throughout 2017-18 and most of 2018-19 while their new stadium was under construction.
Aiming for greater capacity
Next year will mark two decades since Arsenal moved from Highbury to Emirates Stadium. As part of these discussions, it is understood that one option being considered involves changing the seating plan in order to add thousands more seats as Arsenal aims to keep pace with some of England's largest stadiums.
Currently, with a capacity of 60,704 seats, Arsenal boasts the fifth-largest stadium among English football clubs. Manchester United's Old Trafford holds top spot with a capacity of 74,879 seats followed by Tottenham (62,850), West Ham (62,500), and Liverpool (61,276).
While these plans are still in early stages and no concrete decisions have been made yet; such an expansion would undoubtedly enhance match-day experiences for fans while also increasing revenue potential for Arsenal through ticket sales. This move could also potentially bring the Gunners closer to their rivals in terms of stadium capacity, adding another layer of competition off the pitch.
