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Tottenham Hotspur have opened talks with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) over a naming-rights deal for the redeveloped White Hart Lane.
The club’s success in selling more than 80,000 tickets for their first Champions League game at Wembley against Monaco tonight has strengthened their conviction about the size of their domestic fanbase, which they will use to secure a globally renowned partner for the new stadium, which is due to open at the start of the 2018-19 season.
Negotiations with Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund are believed to have intensified after Tottenham learnt that the emirate’s association with Barcelona is likely to end next summer. Given that the club have a large number of Jewish supporters, the talks may attract controversy.
Qatar Airways signed a one-year extension worth £29 million to its shirt-sponsorship deal with Barcelona this summer, but their six-year partnership seems set to end next year, with the Spanish club in advanced negotiations with internet giant Amazon.
Tottenham have attempted to capitalise on the situation by pitching themselves to Qatar, offering Champions League football in a new stadium in an iconic city to accompany their ownership of Paris Saint- Germain. Qatar Sports Investments, a subsidiary of QIA, bought PSG in 2012.
QIA is one of 300 companies, institutions and investment vehicles that Spurs have approached about sponsoring their new stadium.
Tottenham are believed to have offered a ten-year package that they value at £150 million to potential partners. The club had hoped to secure £25 million a year from a naming-rights deal for their new 61,000-seat stadium but have downgraded expectations to about £15 million annually in what is proving to be a challenging market.
West Ham have yet to complete a naming-rights deal for the London Stadium two months after moving in, with Indian technology company the Mahindra Group still the frontrunners having offered £6 million per year, while Chelsea failed to secure a suitable stadium sponsor after putting the rights for Stamford Bridge out to tender in 2009. Arsenal obtained a £100 million deal with Emirates over 15 years when moving into their new ground in 2006, which has since been extended.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Tottenham manager, has admitted that his side will have to “adapt their game” in preparation for Wembley. At 105 metres by 69 metres, compared with 100 metres by 67 metres, it has a larger playing surface than their regular home.
“It’s a good chance to play on a big pitch, but we need to feel good at Wembley,” Pochettino said, revealing that he has had two pitches designed at Tottenham’s Enfield training ground with the same dimensions as Wembley.
The Argentinian believes that the larger playing surface will suit their expansive style, saying: “It’s a little bit bigger and that can help to play in possession: a team that builds from the back like us has more space and more possibility to play, [and] it’s more difficult for the opponent to press you. But it’s the same for both teams.”
Tottenham have been buoyed by a new contract for Eric Dier, the 22-year-old England midfielder, who has committed his future to the club until 2021.