EIGHT of the current 20 Premier League clubs have moved into new stadiums this century.
Iconic grounds such as Highbury and White Hart Lane have been knocked down and replaced by state-of-the-art arenas.
But what if some clubs decided to renovate their spiritual homes instead of replace?
SunSport, with the help of BonusCodeBets, have used AI to see what those classic stadiums could look like if they had not been demolished.
Highbury – Arsenal
Arsenal left Highbury in 2006 and moved to the 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners were unable to stay and modernise the old venue because the East Stand is a Grade II listed building and redevelopments would have seen houses knocked down.
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Highbury has now been converted into flats – but AI reckons its old school-look could have a modern twist if the club remained there.
White Hart Lane – Tottenham
Tottenham’s stunning new ground opened in 2019.
Spurs spent two seasons playing at Wembley while their home was demolished and building work could be finished on the new stadium.
Double the amount of fans can now cheer on the team and concerts can also take place in the ultra-modern arena.
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And AI thinks building on top of the old White Hart Lane would have seen the ground lose its classic feel anyway.
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Maine Road – Man City
Manchester City switched Maine Road for the Etihad in 2003.
The previous home of the club was demolished a year later and is now a housing estate and a school.
Some fans wished they had increased the capacity of the 35,000-seater stadium.
But AI thinks if they had, City would have kept the square shape and made the other stands as high the main Kippax Stand.
Boleyn Ground – West Ham
West Ham’s made an emotional departure from Upton Park and headed to the London Stadium in 2016.
Some supporters criticise the new ground as “not fit for football” due to it still being able to host athletics events.
But the club doubled their capacity and got a shiny new home on the cheap as the London Legacy Development Corporation needed a tenant after the Olympics.
If they had not bulldozed the Boleyn, the Hammers’ ground would have kept an old school shape and AI thinks the intimidating Chicken Run Stand would have stayed much the same.
Griffin Park – Brentford
The stadium was home to Brentford from 1904 to 2020, when they moved across town to the Gtech Community Stadium.
The computer-generated image of a modern day Griffin Park looks bigger than the club’s current ground.
Wembley – England
The Old Wembley shut its turnstiles for the final time in 2000 and it was eventually demolished three years later.
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Its iconic twin towers were swapped for the famous arch, with the stadium host to Euros, Champions Leagues and FA Cup finals in recent years.
And by looking at AI’s interpretation, the old style would have lost its distinctive feature if was kept anyway.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
