Chelsea could now abandon Stamford Bridge rebuild – Keith Wyness
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has insisted Chelsea will find it “very tough” to redevelop their Stamford Bridge home.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – claimed the restrictions at their current stadium means a new build at Earl’s Court is the “preferred option” for the Blues.
As reported by The Guardian (10 September), Chelsea have held talks over a potential move to Earl’s Court with expanding capacity a big priority for the club’s owners.
Earlier this year, the London giants purchased £80million of land next to Stamford Bridge – but won’t take possession of the plot until 2027.
Former owner Roman Abramovich sanctioned a rebuild of the famous stadium in 2006 and also explored a move to Battersea Power Station in 2012.
Chelsea will prefer Earl’s Court move over staying at Stamford Bridge, says Wyness
Wyness claimed remaining at Stamford Bridge will cost a “lot of money” due to complications in the surrounding area.
He told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “Stamford Bridge will be tough to develop because it has some tight envelopes around it with adjoining property and real estate.
“I know there’s been a lot of discussions.
I even saw a story going back to Henry VIII’s reign about there needing to be a sight line from a certain hill across to St Paul’s.
There are some great planning stories around a new Stamford Bridge.
“It would be very tight, it would take a lot of money to do it.
“I believe there was some progress during Abramovich’s time, but it didn’t happen.
“That’s probably why Earl’s Court is the preferred option for Chelsea at the moment – but there will be complications with that.
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