All that is on Mikel Arteta’s mind is fighting for the quadruple, but in David Dein’s eyes, one of Arsenal’s biggest challenges is expanding the Emirates Stadium.
A part of Arsenal left North London when Dein departed the club in 2007.
It took so many years for the Gunners to replicate the ambition of the former vice-chairman, the driving force behind Arsenal’s success in the early stages of Arsene Wenger’s reign.
Arsenal let Dein go and had to live with the consequences, and while the North Londoners are in a far better place now than they were after his departure, the businessman still sees what work needs to be done.
David Dein says Arsenal need to expand the Emirates
Winning the Premier League is a must for Arsenal this season, but beyond that, Dein sees another must, and that is expanding the Emirates Stadium.
What capacity should Arsenal expand the Emirates Stadium to?
70k is on the cards, but should we be aiming BIGGER?
Mikel Arteta has made changes to the Emirates since last season, and now, Dein thinks it’s time for the club to increase the capacity.
“I think they’re going in the right direction, and I think it is looking very positive,” Dein began when asked about the state of the club today on the High Performance podcast.
“One of the biggest challenges they’ve got now is that the stadium’s too small. They’ve allegedly got 100,000 people on [season ticket waitlist].
“When we were building it, we were worried about 60,000 people!”
Dein is right, as hundreds of thousands of Arsenal fans apply for tickets via the ballot every game, and so many are left disappointed.
Demand is there, and it largely outgrows 60,000, which is why it’s good news that Arsenal are quietly plotting to expand the Emirates in the coming years.
How many seats Stan Kroenke wants at the Emirates Stadium
Dein sees a resculpture of the Emirates as a must, and those currently at the club agree.
We think Arsenal MUST move the away fans to the upper tier at the Emirates, do you agree?
A report from the Telegraph in October revealed that Stan Kroenke has set his sights on expanding the stadium to boost matchday revenue.
Kroenke envisions the Emirates having a capacity of 70,000, which would make N5 the home of the biggest Premier League stadium in the capital.
It must be said, aside from demand, a revamp is needed, as time flies, making it easy to forget that the Emirates is now 20 years old.
As Arsenal bid to enter a new silverware-laden era, their home needs to present itself as the place to be, which is set to happen.
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