Arsenal have reportedly been presented with multiple Emirates Stadium expansion options as they explore ways to keep pace with their rivals.
With logistical challenges and financial implications at play, the club faces key decisions.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 07: A general view outside the stadium ahead of the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on January 07, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Arsenal are advancing discussions over the expansion of Emirates Stadium, with the club aiming to complete any redevelopment work by 2028 as they seek to increase capacity, improve their infrastructure and remain competitive with the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
According to an exclusive in Friday’s Daily Mail, they have been presented with various proposals by an architectural design firm.
With rival clubs either upgrading or constructing new venues to boost matchday revenue, the Gunners are now assessing how to modernise their 20-year-old home.
Arsenal given options over how to expand the Emirates Daily Mail14 Mar 2025By ISAAN KHAN ARSENAL are mulling over how to expand the Emirates Stadium after being presented with a variety of options by an architectural design firm. It comes as rivals around them are expanding their venues or building new ones to increase revenue. Earlier this week, Manchester United announced plans for a new £2billion, 100,000-capacity ground, which will be the biggest in the UK. At 60,704 seats, Arsenal have the fifth biggest stadium in the Premier League. Tottenham (62,850), West Ham (62,500) and Liverpool (61,276) have shot past them since the Emirates was opened in 2006. Manchester City could soon also usurp the Gunners — they are expanding their North Stand, which could push the Etihad’s capacity past 60,000, while Newcastle also have ambitious plans. When considering their options, the cost and project time will be major factors for Arsenal, as well as how the plans will impact the surrounding area. It is understood Arsenal were approached about hosting Euro 2028 games, but declined. They have instead chosen to free up that summer’s calendar for events and concerts at the Emirates. It is hoped that any stadium expansion can be completed by then. An increased capacity would likely require approval by Islington Council as well as Transport for London. It is understood money will be needed for work on Holloway Road underground station to increase its capacity. The topic of expansion first arose in an ESPN interview with Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke in July. He said: ‘The internal conversations are starting to occur. It is not an easy renovation, but we see the possibilities of what is there.’
Arsenal given options over how to expand the Emirates Daily Mail 14 Mar 2025 By ISAAN KHAN
With 60,704 seats, Arsenal currently has the fifth-largest stadium in the Premier League, but since its opening in 2006, several clubs have surpassed them in capacity.
Tottenham Hotspur (62,850), West Ham United (62,500), and Liverpool (61,276) all come ahead of the Gunners, while Manchester City’s ongoing North Stand redevelopment is expected to increase the Etihad Stadium to more than 60,000 seats.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 24: Fans of Manchester City make their way to the stadium past expansion work on the north stand prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Ipswich Town FC at Etihad Stadium on August 24, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Manchester United have unveiled ambitious plans for a £2 billion, 100,000-capacity stadium, which would make it the largest in the UK, if it’s ever built.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: General view outside the stadium, as fans enjoy the pre-match atmosphere prior to the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester United and Real Sociedad de Futbol at Old Trafford on March 13, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Newcastle United are also reportedly considering a new build in the city centre.
It’s not my best picture... my eyes are shut, and my tongue is out! Moving is the right call so the next generation can watch their heroes JAMES TARKOWSKI on the image that will forever link him to Goodison Park Daily Mail14 Mar 2025by Ian Ladyman Football Editor By CRAIG HOPE Chief Football Reporter SHUTTERSTOCK Old and new: St James’ Park and (inset) the proposed new site ON the wall at Everton’s Finch Farm training ground there is a new photograph, placed there to commemorate one of the most famous moments in the history of Goodison Park. The subject of it smiles and claims not to be that impressed. ‘Of all the pictures they could have picked, the one they have put up I don’t love,’ says James Tarkowski. ‘My eyes are shut, my tongue is out. You can’t even see where the ball is going. It could actually just be a clearance for all I know.’ It wasn’t a clearance on that night of February 12, 2025. It was a goal, scored by Tarkowski at the Gwladys Street End in the 97th minute to earn Everton a 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the last ever derby to be played at Goodison. A right-foot volley crashed into the roof of the net by a 32-year-old central defender with all the poise of a No 9. Whatever happens to him now, Tarkowski has his place in Everton folklore. ‘Football isn’t a hobby, it’s a job,’ Tarkowski tells Mail Sport. ‘The pressure and intensity of it means it’s not always as enjoyable as it sounds. I mean I love it, but that’s the truth. So when you get moments like that, it makes the hard work — days of losing matches, driving away from Goodison having been beaten — all very worthwhile. ‘I have always wanted to be part of a last-minute goal but never thought I would be in a situation like that. It’s a month ago now but it’s still all anyone actually wants to talk to me about.’ Everton’s draw that night has formed part of a wider recovery under returning manager David Moyes. Indeed when Moyes takes his team to Anfield on the other side of the international break, Tarkowski should make his 300th Premier League appearance, in a team that is now looking upwards. ‘David walked in and told us he wasn’t here for a relegation battle and we had to buck up our ideas and get some points on the board quickly,’ recalls Tarkowski, ‘We are now chasing teams.’ Tarkowski is on a run of 104 consecutive League games for Everton. It’s a club record for a player who walked away from Blackburn as a youngster and rebuilt his career at non-League Maine Road in his native Manchester. ‘Maybe my journey just took a different path to what I expected,’ he says. ‘I enjoyed going there. I was playing with men. From there I went to Oldham. Another step. I was allowed to make mistakes and get better. ‘Had I been an academy player all the way through, I don’t think I would be the same player or person. I learned some lessons about day-to-day life. People were playing to put food on the table. It was real life.’ Tarkowski is talking in a small room at the Everton in the Community facility across the road from Goodison Park. Real life is all around on this occasion, too. He has just spent an hour meeting, cooking, playing and talking with youngsters — some economically disadvantaged and some with educational needs. Tarkowski is here to mark the next stage of a long-standing partnership between Everton’s community arm and the Steve Morgan Foundation. The SMF have invested £7million in EITC since 2019 and the further £2.3m announced on Wednesday will help another 13,000 young people develop skills and make informed life choices. ‘It’s amazing,’ says Tarkowski. ‘I don’t come from a super wealthy background. It was a little bit rough but nothing like some of the things these kids experience. ‘Just seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces… I enjoy it and am proud to be a part of it. I have realised the impact we can have. ‘Since I have been at Everton we have had some tough times and sometimes you just want to keep yourself out of the way. But to meet these kids, have a conversation and be around them is great. ‘I come from a working-class background. My dad was an electrician. My mum worked at Manchester City Council. So this club suits me as I see what it means.’ Tarkowski was close to Moyes’s predecessor Sean Dyche as he also played for him at Burnley. He says he felt some guilt when Dyche left in January. ‘I played every game so I had been part of a team that put in performances that led to someone losing their job,’ he says. ‘Maybe because I had such a strong relationship with him, I feel it a bit more.’ It wasn’t all doom and gloom under Dyche. After Tarkowski and his wife Samantha appeared on the reality TV programme Married to the Game and talked fleetingly about their sex life, Dyche made the most of it. ‘It wasn’t ideal,’ Tarkowski laughs. ‘Seamus (Coleman) was first at it the next day. Then it got put up in one of Sean’s team meetings. If anybody hadn’t seen it, it was there for everybody. But it was a bit of fun. ‘Samantha lives in my shadow a little bit. She wasn’t desperate for fame but she wanted to show her side. If you watch the full thing, it’s about her and what she wants for her future. She is a very deep thinker but also super supportive of me and my job while at the same time not being too fussed about it. If I walked away from football, she would be just as happy. She wants to be her own person living her own life. That was part of the show, too.’ Tarkowski has only a year left on his Everton contract — he is open to talks — but it seems Samantha has made her views known already on options such as Saudi Arabia. ‘I have already been told I am not allowed to go,’ he laughs. As for the short term, he plans to enjoy the final days of Goodison — starting with tomorrow’s visit of West Ham — free from the spectre of relegation. In more ways than one, some spectacular and some not, he has already done his bit. NEWCASTLE’S plans to move to a new super stadium and leave behind St James’ Park will split opinion — on Tyneside and beyond — but it is the right call. Even if I do say that with a 51-49 rate of conviction. St James’ is one of the richest in the land for story, tradition, iconic setting and fanatical atmosphere. Colleagues from ‘down south’, here to cover the recent Carabao Cup semi-final win over Arsenal, could not believe the idea of leaving the ground was even being contemplated after a raucous night under the lights. In response, I would offer this — you were lucky to be there. Thousands more, with black-andwhite allegiance, were not. And that is my overriding motivation for being in favour of the move — tomorrow’s generation cannot be locked out. Yes, there is the business argument that the club will make — increased matchday revenue leading to a better team and more success. If the Saudis want to be No 1 in the world, as is their stated ambition, they will only get there by building a new stadium. Profit and sustainability rules makes that a harsh reality. But forget finances. This, for me, is about inclusion, getting as many into the stadium to watch their team. The club call it a ‘once-in-a-generation cheque’ that PIF will have to sign. I would call it a once-in-a-generation opportunity. This, of course, is all on the proviso that they get the build right. The Leazes Park location is perfect, preserving the matchday tradition of a few beers in town before climbing the hill, and rolling back down on full time. Now, it’s about design, acoustics, retaining identity and forging a new one. It’s exciting and it’s the right move. At least, I think it is.
Moving is the right call so the next generation can watch their heroes – Daily Mail – By CRAIG HOPE Chief Football Reporter
For Arsenal, transport infrastructure is expected to be a key factor, with Holloway Road Underground Station requiring upgrades to accommodate additional matchday crowds.
Approval from Islington Council and Transport for London would likely be necessary before work could commence, all things Arsenal needed before they built the Emirates in the first place.
I was told on a stadium tour not long after it first opened that the Emirates was designed with future growth in mind. Discussions included the possibility of a third tier being added at a later stage and it certainly seems like something Arsene Wenger would have kept in mind. The prospect of expansion happening first surfaced publicly in an ESPN interview last July, when Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke acknowledged the club was exploring options.
“The internal conversations are starting to occur,” Kroenke said. “It is not an easy renovation, but we see the possibilities of what is there.”
LONDON - OCTOBER 5: Manager Arsene Wenger of Arsenal poses outside Arsenal Football Club's new Emirates Stadium development at Ashburton Grove on October 5, 2004 in London. Arsenal have just announced the stadium will be called the Emirates Stadium for the next fifteen years after signing a new sponsorship deal with Emirates. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images
One confirmed improvement coming to Emirates Stadium is a new phone mast, which will enhance matchday mobile connectivity.
Arsenal have committed to installing a world-leading data mast in the summer to address longstanding issues with poor mobile signal inside the ground.
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 02: Fans of Arsenal look at a mobile phone as they gather on the outside of the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City FC at Emirates Stadium on February 02, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
For match-going supporters, the lack of connectivity has been a persistent frustration, most notably on the final day of the 2023/24 season when fans were unable to check Manchester City’s score as Arsenal chased the title.
Tottenham and Chelsea have installed Wi-Fi systems inside their stadiums, but Arsenal opted for a direct mobile signal boost instead.
The Mail’s exclusive also revealed that Arsenal were asked to host games for Euro 2028 but declined, preferring, instead, to use the stadium to host concerts and events.
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