Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier has urged supporters not to fret about when the club will move into their behind-schedule new stadium, insisting the timeline is insignificant given “the bigger picture”.
By the end of the week, Spurs are expected to announce that the fixtures against Chelsea on November 24 and Southampton on December 5 will be moved to Wembley, and the club has an early November deadline to inform the FA if they also need to host Burnley there on December 15.
Spurs planned to move into their new 62,062-seater home in mid-September, but indefinite delays, caused by fire safety alarms, have left the club in limbo and they are currently playing home games at Wembley, their temporary home for last season.
Many fans, particularly those who bought season-tickets, have been left frustrated by the ongoing uncertainty, but Dier said: “I don’t think people need to get too hung up on the stadium.
The fact is, when we move in, that is going be fantastic [for the club] for the next 100 years. People need to be able to step back and look at the bigger picture. The stadium is going to benefit the club in so many ways. And that’s what everyone should focus on. They shouldn’t focus on if it’s going to be done in November, December... that month is going to be so insignificant when you look at the bigger picture.”
If the stadium is not ready in time for Burnley’s visit, a New Year opening is likely, with limited appetite to host games over the busy festive period.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s must-win Champions League game against PSV, Dier added: “Obviously, we’re all really excited get into the new stadium. Last season, everyone was really looking to it. The closer we got to the end of last season, everyone was looking forward to it, so I understand the excitement around it.
“But last season we played all season at Wembley and we became very comfortable there. It’s almost normal and natural now that we play there, and we feel comfortable there.”
