What United would lose by redeveloping Old Trafford

The club's executives are keen to replicate the success of Tottenham's new money-spinning stadium. But fans tell Miguel Delaney they fear being priced out by newcomers

- Miguel Delaney

When Jim Ratcliffe arrives at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, he will get another tantalising view of the expanded concourse known as the Market Place. It helps Spurs take in around £1m per home game on food and drink alone. To some in the game, this is more impressive than the single-tiered South Stand.

It is also why, for all the talk of a “Wembley of the North”, what Manchester United owner Ratcliffe really wants is a “Tottenham Hotspur Stadium of the North”. That doesn’t sound as catchy, admittedly, but it has worked its way into the minds of many executives. Newcastle United have talked behind the scenes about how their reimagined St James’ Park would be comparable to Spurs’ project. And Chelsea have cast envious glances from across the capital.

Such is the admiration the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Premier League could well end up with equivalents all over the country; an update on the Emirates type that proliferated from the mid-2000s. Many Spurs fans might lament the fact their actual football doesn’t garner the same respect. The two are of course linked, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.

In the modern world of PSR, where broadcast income is centrally negotiated and commercial deals are viewed as “maxed out”, the big lever a club can pull is venue income. This may well end up being the main area for growth, and create a new land grab, so to speak.