Speaking on the Seaman Says Podcast, Graeme Le Saux has been speaking about the challenges of having a brand new stadium.
Le Saux was actually speaking about the prospect of Chelsea moving away from Stamford Bridge at one point when he was reminded of Arsenal’s struggles after leaving Highbury.
The Gunners, of course, had an initial trophy drought when they moved to the Emirates as the club failed to invest properly as they attempted to pay off the debts associated with the new stadium.
Le Saux acknowledged Arsenal’s struggles at this time, and he even went on to speak about how he believes Spurs are having similar issues right now.
Spurs mirroring Arsenal
Le Saux spoke about Arsenal and Tottenham’s struggles after moving.
“Yeah, it’s a very good point and I think it was obvious from the outside that Arsenal couldn’t have it all. They couldn’t have the stadium and the investment at that level. Tottenham have a similar problem right now where they have one of the world’s best stadiums, but there is a huge weight financially on the club and balancing those two things is difficult,” Le Saux said.
“With Spurs there’s a pressure to deliver a level all the time against a huge debt and that puts everyone under a different pressure and it becomes really challenging.”
Are they?
Le Saux says that Spurs are having the same issues Arsenal once had, but we have to query that.
Tottenham have just spent over £100m in the summer transfer window, and they’ve not had to sell a star player in recent years.
Meanwhile, the likes of Thierry Henry, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas all left Arsenal not long after the Emirates move, while the Gunners also failed to spend big on replacements.
Spurs had their period of no investment before the stadium move, but now, they’re spending just as much as any big club.
We have to disagree with Le Saux’s point of view here.
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