Published: 3 April, 2014
by DAN CARRIER

TOTTENHAM’S new stadium should be ready in time for the start of the 2017-18 season and will give Spurs the financial clout to compete for the Premiership title, club chairman Daniel Levy said yesterday (Wednesday).

The under-fire chairman issued a defiant defence of his tenure in a statement accompanying the club’s annual financial results.

Levy spoke bullishly of how the club had performed in a season that promised so much but for many fans has been a huge disappointment.

He said: “We have had to make significant changes, in coaching and playing staff, yet we are currently only two points less than last season’s tally.

“While performances have not lived up to expectations, we believe our squad has potential.” He added the stadium, once built, would sell out and give the club the finances to compete with Europe’s top sides.

He added; “We have fantastic support. Our current 36,000-seater stadium sells out. The waiting list for season tickets is in excess of 47,000. We cannot stress strongly enough how critical the new stadium is over the long term.

“We have the smallest capacity stadium of any club in the top 20 clubs in Europe, let alone the current top four Premier League clubs. Increased capacity is fundamental to supporting consistent achievement at the top of the game.”

Levy added he did not expect any big sales or signings in the summer.

He said: “We shall not look to a summer of major upheaval, but rather to strengthen in key positions.”

The club announced they had revenue of £147m this year – up two per cent on last year’s figures.