The Glazers have chance to give Manchester United fans what they deserve with Old Trafford redevelopment

As the debate around the redevelopment of Old Trafford rages on, it’s worth remembering that one of their Premier League rivals faces similar issues.

By summer of 2010, Manchester United and Chelsea were the two best teams in England. They had won a combined eight league titles between them in the past decade.

It was no surprise then, that talk soon turned of expanding their respective stadiums, or even moving to a new location. But both projects have not made quick progress.

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While Manchester United and Chelsea have not made huge changes, their rivals at home and abroad have struck their advantage. In 2009, just three years after the last expansion, it was said that there were plans to increase Old Trafford’s capacity to 95,000 – making it the largest football stadium in the country. Meanwhile, the expansion of Stamford Bridge was a long-standing mission of Roman Abramovich.

Both Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge have railway lines next to them. While it is thought that building over the lines would now be feasible, it wouldn’t be straightforward.

Then there’s the issue of the ownership. The Glazers have taken an estimated £1bn out of Old Trafford and only now is there tangible work going on to improve the stadium.

Abramovich appeared far more willing to invest in Chelsea’s home. However, plans for a major redesign were put on hold in 2018 when the Home Office did not grant the Russian a visa to continue working in the UK.

There has been ongoing deliberation too about whether to move to an entirely new location. There is free land next to Old Trafford, while Chelsea have pondered moves to a then disused Battersea Power