New era edges closer as Tottenham seek to draw a line under austerity years | David Hytner

Tottenham meet Arsenal at Wembley on Saturday but next year’s derby will take place at the new White Hart Lane with the old rivals on a more-equal footing regarding revenue

Of all the numbers that cling to Tottenham’s new stadium project – and there are many, some of them mind-boggling – there is one that screams for attention in north London. It is the projected capacity of 61,559. The final figure could change. The club continue to fine-tune the design and they have applied for permission to go higher than 62,000. But what can be said for certain is that the ground will become the second-largest on England’s club football landscape.

It will be smaller than Old Trafford, which holds 75,643, but bigger than Emirates Stadium, which accommodates 59,867. That, for Tottenham, is a very big deal. Talk to anybody at the club about the new stadium, which is rising fast on the site of the old 36,284-capacity White Hart Lane, and that is the detail they invariably volunteer. It will be bigger than Arsenal’s.

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from The Guardian http://ift.tt/2Ed4aO4