Arsenal head coach Unai Emery today insisted he would welcome the chance to face Tottenham in their first competitive match at the new White Hart Lane.
Spurs announced earlier this week that the £1billion project would not be completed before the end of February, raising the prospect of a north London derby on March 2 as the opening fixture.
It remains an unlikely proposition because of opposition from police and local authorities to the staging of such a high-profile and potential volatile game, but Standard Sport understands Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is keen to move in as soon as possible.
Asked whether he would be ready to play Spurs in their new home, Emery told Standard Sport: “Yeah, sure. I think it is good to play in a big stadium.”
Spurs are under considerable financial pressure after the FA negotiated a substantial increase on last season’s agreement, worth £500,000-a-match.
For now, though, Emery is focused on tomorrow’s trip to West Ham, with Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal back in full training this week following injuries.
“We want to find our best performance,” he said. “Some players [are able to] recover their positions in the squad and in the first XI and we need their [best] performances now.
Arsenal squad 2019-20 | Injuries, contracts and squad numbers
“It’s good news that we can have more players available.”
The Gunners won 5-1 in West Ham’s first season at the London Stadium but last year’s clash ended 0-0 despite the Hammers failing to register a single shot on target.
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