Tottenham move to Milton Keynes would be good, says Mauricio Pochettino, amid talk of sharing Wembley with Chelsea
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino insists he would be happy for the club to relocate 50 miles to Milton Keynes while a new 61,000-capacity stadium is completed in north London.
The controversial proposal, which would see Spurs stage their home fixtures at MK Dons’ Stadium mk for the 2017-18 season, is under consideration as an alternative to renting Wembley Stadium.
Chelsea are also interested in a temporary switch to Wembley, albeit likely for a longer spell, while they redevelop Stamford Bridge, and the Blues could even share residency with Tottenham.
Pochettino, whose side visit Leicester in an FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday, pleaded ignorance to suggestions they could co-habit with their west London rivals but welcomed both potential destinations.
“It’s an option to play at Wembley but I don’t hear that maybe we will share with Chelsea – no communication from my chairman and we didn’t speak about that. Maybe we will in the future but not yet,” he said.
“It’s a club decision, different possibilities, but we would love to play at Wembley. It’s in London and it’s close; it’s a good option for us. But why not Milton Keynes too? Both options are good.”
Stadium mk, the home of Championship outfit MK Dons, has a capacity of 30,500 – less than 6,000 fewer than White Hart Lane – but is almost two hours’ drive from Spurs’ north London ground.
Tottenham were granted planning approval in December for a new £400m arena on the site of their home of 116 years and plan to move out for one season to enable completion in time for the 2018-19 campaign.
Chelsea are believed to want Wembley for three years with the option of a fourth, starting in 2017, while they transform Stamford Bridge into a distinctive 60,000-seater, Gothic-influenced arena.
Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn has indicated he would be happy for Spurs and Chelsea to share the 90,000-capacity national stadium. Tenancy would likely cost each club around £15m per season.
Pochettino, meanwhile, has admitted that he is likely to rotate his team for a third meeting with Premier League high-flyers Leicester in the space of 11 days.
“We have some players in a condition where it’s a big risk to play,” he said. “We have ahead of lot of games. Always we assess the players and maybe we take a decision to rest some players.”