Arsenal have been rejuvenated in recent years under the management of former midfielder Mikel Arteta.
They have finished second behind Manchester City two years in a row and are looking to end their 20-year Premier League title drought in the 2024/25 campaign.
With the fortunes of the Gunners are improving on the pitch, the owners have discussed investing to increase the club off the pitch, including early discussions around increasing the capacity at the Emirates Stadium.
Here is everything you need to know about a potential redevelopment of the Emirates in the coming years.
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What’s the Arsenal stadium like now?
The Emirates Stadium officially opened in July 2006 and since then has been the home of Arsenal’s men’s team, as well as hosting matches for Arsenal’s women’s team. In fact, for the 2024/25 campaign, the 18-year-old stadium will be the main home ground for both the men’s and women’s teams.
When Arsenal first moved into the 60,000-capacity facility, there were concerns that it lacked the football soul that became synonymous with the former Highbury Stadium. However, in recent years, it has felt much more like home, especially under Arteta’s reign.
The introduction of fan anthems such as ‘North London Forever’, which is now sung before every home match, and the growing popularity of the women’s team have led to the Emirates becoming much more popular with Arsenal supporters.
Why are Arsenal owners looking to expand the Emirates Stadium?
It was announced in June 2024 that the Premier League clubs had agreed to a new financial system, alongside the much-maligned Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Squad cost controls and anchoring rules are being trialled in the 2024/25 campaign.
Rob Harris detailed the specifics of the new squad spending cap rules as follows: “Only 70% of revenue will be allowed to be spent on transfers, salaries and agent fees by clubs playing in European competitions – aligned to UEFA’s looming new formula replacing FFP. The cap rises to 85% for those clubs who don’t qualify for Europe.”
The anchoring principle will work alongside this and ensure that every club in the division can only spend a fixed ratio of the team at the bottom of the league. It has been discussed that the ratio multiple will be between four and five. For example, in the 2022/23 Premier League season, Southampton finished bottom of the table and earned £103.6 in prize money, so if the multiple were five, teams would only be allowed to spend £518m.
With the increasing importance of revenue becoming clearer in the financial rules, clubs across the league have pursued plans to expand or build new stadiums to generate additional income.
Everton are set to move into Bramley-Moore Dock at the start of next season. Manchester United have deployed a task force to explore the options of building a new stadium or redeveloping Old Trafford.
Clubs such as Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Manchester City are all pushing ahead with expansion plans for their respective stadiums.
No significant renovations have been made to the Emirates since moving into the ground in 2006, and with many Premier League teams looking to expand their stadium or build a new facility, the Kroenkes are exploring the possibility of redevelopment.
Timeline of Emirates stadium expansion
July 2024 update – Josh Kroenke reveals ‘internal conversations’ about Emirates Stadium expansion
In an interview with ESPN on 30 July, Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke was asked about the possibility of expanding the Emirates in the future. He said: “It would be premature to talk about any plans in depth, but the internal conversations are starting to occur about [the stadium]. It is not an easy renovation, but we see the possibilities of what's there.
“Our goal was always to compete for the Premier League title because if you look around the world, if you are competing for the title year-in, year-out, you are competing for everything else.”
Arsenal supporters have speculated that the capacity could be increased to 75,000 if redevelopment was given planning permission, but the specifics of the plans have not been announced yet.
He also expressed the club’s desire to continue to invest in the women’s team. Kroenke added: “What can our fans expect? Everything they've gotten in the last few years. We're going to keep adding to the group. I know Mikel's energy is through the roof in the best of ways. In our women's team as well, you see how women's sport is taking off around the world. We are really excited about that part of the business.
“But as a club our main goal is to continue to make our supporters proud.”