Goodison Park replacement: Everton go cold on new stadium and blame local council

Another 7,000 seats could be added to the Park End

Everton's current home is Goodison Park (Getty)

Everton are exploring the redevelopment of Goodison Park if they are unable to go through with the building of a new stadium they believe will “future-proof” the club.

Chief executive Robert Elstone, speaking in the absence of chairman Bill Kenwright, who was too ill to attend, told Everton’s annual general meeting last night that the project for a new stadium at Walton Hall Park had been undermined by a lack of support from Liverpool City Council, 14 months after the project was announced.

During the meeting the mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, tweeted: “Re: Everton’s CEO comments that they are ready on the new stadium. I am looking forward to receiving their planning and financial proposals tomorrow.”

Although rebuilding Goodison Park would be an option of last resort, 15 years after the club first explored the possibility of a new ground, Elstone said architects had told him another 7,000 seats could be added to the Park End.

“It would be really difficult to add another tier and problems would remain with concourse space and sight-lines,” he said. “Would it be a statement of intent for Everton? No. Would it make commercial sense? Maybe.”

One of Everton’s priorities is to increase commercial income to match Tottenham’s £42m. Currently, they make £25m a year, the same as Aston Villa and Newcastle.

“Only one club in the last 15 years has built a new 50,000-seat stadium through its own efforts,” he said. “Arsenal had Highbury, a hugely valuable piece of land to sell, they were close to the City of London and they were virtually guaranteed Champions League football every season.

“As for the rest, Manchester City were given a stadium after the Commonwealth Games and West Ham will be getting a £650m stadium for an investment of £15m.”

Elstone added there had been little progress in attracting fresh investment. “They are not buying at Everton but there has not been a single Premier League takeover in the last three years so that investment is not going anywhere else.”