Journalist John Cross has suggested that Chelsea playing at Wembley for five years was considered as an option as the club attempts to redevelop Stamford Bridge.
What’s the latest on Stamford Bridge?
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly recently committed to redeveloping Chelsea’s ground, which had long been earmarked for expansion and renovation under previous owner Roman Abramovich.
Abramovich’s stadium plans were put on hold amid visa issues in 2018, but they are now being discussed, with some issues potentially causing a headache for Boehly.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, (0:50) Cross revealed some of the options that have been discussed at board level and with fans, which included a last-resort measure of playing at Wembley for five years:
“They have been consulting with fans, this week they announced a fan board, so fans would actually have a say, at board level. And frankly, they’ve been sounding out fans for quite some time. And within those meetings, I was told at the time that they’d move to Wembley for five years, if they took the kind of nuclear option, which was to completely knock down Stamford Bridge and rebuild it,” he stated.
“To actually clear that whole space at Stamford Bridge would take 18 months alone just to clear it, knock it down and clear it. And during that time, they’d have to have to play at Wembley.
“There are alternatives, they could move away, or they could do it stand by stand, which I’m told would actually take potentially even longer.”
Why are there difficulties in redeveloping Stamford Bridge?
There is not a lot of free space around Stamford Bridge, which could cause a problem if the ground is to be knocked down and rebuilt, and this could take a lot of time.
If Chelsea pursue such an option, they could play in Wembley whilst the works take place, in a similar manner to Tottenham Hotspur in 2018.
According to journalist Jonathan Liew, the presence of housing, public transport lighting and a rail line close to the stadium grounds makes it more difficult to have major construction in the area compared to other grounds.
Abramovich could not complete a redevelopment in nearly 20 years at Chelsea, highlighting how difficult an endeavour Boehly is undertaking for the club.