Arsene Wenger predicts "difficult" spell for Tottenham Hotspur

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 29 April 2017

Arsene Wenger expects Tottenham Hotspur to take a couple of years to "adjust" to their new surroundings after confirming that they are to leave White Hart Lane.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned Tottenham Hotspur that they will struggle to adjust to playing home games at Wembley Stadium and are in for a "very difficult" season.

The Lilywhites confirmed on Friday that they will move away from White Hart Lane at the end of the current campaign, using the national stadium as a temporary home while their new ground is being built.

Spurs have struggled when competing at Wembley this season, winning just one of the four Champions League and Europa League games they played there and also bowing out of the FA Cup to Chelsea last weekend at the semi-final stage.

Wenger believes that Arsenal's North London rivals may now struggle to remain a competitive force at the top end of the division.

"It will be very difficult [for Tottenham]," he told reporters. "Much more than you imagine. First of all because you face financial restrictions, as we did, although it may be less in future because you have more income.

"Secondly because you don't feel at home like you were before and need to recreate a kind of history to feel comfortable and to feel like you play at home. I would say it will take two years [for Spurs to adjust]."

Tottenham are scheduled to move into their new 61,000-capacity stadium for the start of the 2018-19 season.