Manchester City are set to overtake Arsenal in terms of stadium capacity after announcing plans to expand the Etihad Stadium in the near future. The club have claimed there will be an additional 6,600 seats added to the current layout, taking the grand total to a potential 61,000.
That could come as a financial boost to the current Premier League champions when it comes to their revenues across all competitions. Boosting those revenue streams are the best ways for clubs to compete in spending more money, with City's matchday income for 2021/22 sitting at £54.5million.
Compare that to Arsenal in the same period, who managed to post income of £79.4million, a considerable advantage on their rivals considering that included no European competition either. The expansion to the Etihad will take the stadium capacity to above that of the Emirates Stadium, offering the potential for better matchday income.
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Whether they will achieve that remains to be seen, given that it would require the demand for tickets on the same scale as Arsenal's as well as a similar pricing structure. The changes may address some issues faced by Pep Guardiola this season when it comes to home games though.
The Spaniard has complained about the atmosphere at times during the campaign, pointing towards needing to hear the fans during key clashes. “They were silent for 45 minutes,” said Guardiola of those in attendance at a 4-2 win over Tottenham in January..
“They booed [at half-time] because we were losing; maybe it’s the same as our team - they are so comfortable winning four Premier Leagues in five years.”
Whether boosting attendances will help that problem remains to be seen, though they could follow the blueprint of title rivals Arsenal. The Gunners have worked to make the Emirates Stadium a fortress, with Mikel Arteta making changes to ensure his side were well supported at home this season.
It remains to be seen if the ambition of those at the top of Man City can match the growth of the club and fanbase as a whole though as they look to continue to compete at the top level.
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