Tottenham Hotspur have shown London mayor Sadiq Khan around their new stadium as the ground edges towards completion.
Spurs have been playing at Wembley this campaign while their new ground is constructed. They moved out of their traditional White Hart Lane home at the end of last season.
And despite a relatively tight development time for the £1billion ground, it looks as though Spurs’ new home will be ready for the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, mayor Sadiq Khan and the NFL’s Mark Waller (left to right) tour the new stadium
Spurs’ new ground, while still under construction, is progressing and should be ready for the start of the new campaign
The trio viewed the new single tier main stand at the ground, which is modelled on European stadiums
All three of those touring the stadium on Thursday admitted their delight at how the scheme was taking shape
Chairman Daniel Levy took Khan and NFL executive vice-president Mark Waller around the ground. The fixtures for the NFL’s 2018 London Series will be announced on Thursday, with Spurs’ stadium to be one of the venues.
Khan was enthusiastic about the development and the benefits that it will bring to a traditionally deprived area of London: ‘London is the sporting capital of the world and I look forward to seeing Tottenham Hotspur’s hugely impressive new stadium join the line-up of world class sports arenas in our great city.
‘I welcome the commitment from Spurs in building not just a fantastic stadium for Premier League football and the NFL, but also leading the regeneration of this area of London and investing in local people.’
Levy added: ‘Our vision was always to deliver far more than a stadium – we have looked to create a new sport and leisure destination for London and to start real place change in Tottenham – an area about which we are passionate.
A general view of the stadium, which Khan hailed as a ‘world class sports arena’ — it will cost nearly £1billion
‘The additional developments, new homes, new schools and shops, restored historic buildings and new jobs delivered has started to transform this area and it’s vital that the momentum we have created is supported and utilised to the benefit of the local community.’
The trio posed in front of the single-tier main stand at the ground, which is modelled on European stadiums.
It is unlike anything in America and Waller admitted he was delighted to truly cement the NFL’s partnership with Spurs.
‘We are committed to hosting NFL games in world-class venues in London and are very excited about launching our partnership with Tottenham Hotspur later this year,’ he said.
‘We will be playing games at a magnificent venue that has been built specifically to accommodate us and it is great to see the stadium taking shape.
Khan and Levy talk behind the scenes as they are given a tour of the new stadium in Tottenham on Thursday morning
‘We share the club’s vision and commitment to creating the best experience for our teams, fans and local community and look forward to playing our role in supporting the regeneration of the Tottenham area.’
Meanwhile, Levy has also ruled out the sale of Tottenham’s key men — such as Dele Alli and Harry Kane — in the summer.
‘I’m 100 per cent confident. Every single player that we want to keep, I can assure you will be playing for Tottenham Hotspur next season,’ Levy told Sky Sports.
‘Mauricio’s strategy has always been that if an opportunity arises that he thinks can improve the squad then we will need to look at it, but January is always a very difficult window.’
Another one of the stands in the new ground taking shape as Spurs prepare to return home for the 2018-19 season
Khan looks out over the area surrounding the stadium — there are hopes the new ground will help regenerate it