Arsenal could face ‘big issue’ as shock plan confirmed – Stefan Borson
Arsenal could face difficulties increasing the capacity of the Emirates due to the stadium not being designed with the capability of adding another tier.
That is the view of finance expert Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider the North London giants could also face issues around the cost of any potential investment and how long it would take to earn the money back.
In an interview with ESPN on 30 July, Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke revealed the club are starting to think about possible upgrades and potentially an expansion to the Emirates.
The Premier League side left Highbury for the Emirates in 2006 as they looked to bring in larger audiences and attract bigger global sponsorship deals.
The 60,704-seater facility cost £390million to build, making it one of the most expensive stadiums in the world at the time.
Arsenal could face financing issues in stadium expansion
But Borson has questioned how viable it would be for Arsenal to significantly expand the stadium without being able to add more tiers.
He told Football Insider: “If you can add a large number of seats, you can generate quite a lot of top-line revenue.
“The issue is the same one Man United have got. It’s the cost of that investment and how quickly that investment can be paid back.
“I think one of the big issues that Arsenal have got is that the stadium is not designed for adaptation and another tier, which is the only way you are going to make a dramatic increase in the number of seats.
“We have seen that Man City are doing it at the moment, whereby they are adding another tier at the end that doesn’t have three tiers.
“But not all stadiums are suitable for that kind of adaptation.”
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