West Ham ´won the lottery´ with stadium move, says Wenger

Arsene Wenger believes West Ham “won the lottery” with the deal that sees them move into the Olympic Stadium as of next season. 

West Ham will say goodbye to Boleyn Ground at the end of the 2015-16 campaign and move a few kilometres west into their new 60,000-seater home. 

The Premier League outfit will pay reportedly close to £15million in a one-off payment and £2.5m in rent per year for the Olympic Stadium, where as Arsenal paid £390m to build the Emirates Stadium a decade ago. 

Manchester City were able to get a similar deal to West Ham, which played a part in making the Abu Dhabi takeover possible four years later, turning them into a force in English and European football. 

And Wenger believes there is no reason why West Ham cannot follow City’s path in the near future. 

“I say well done, you have won in the lottery, and you do not need to sweat like I did for long years, and fight for every pound,” the French coach said. 

“They have made a good deal, they have negotiated very well. Is it fair? Is it not fair? It is legal.

“And it is similar to the Manchester City situation. Man City got a new stadium for £20million basically.”

“It is possible [they can turn into a force]. The owners were all local when I arrived. If you look at how that has changed in 20 years then you think that West Ham could go the same way.

“Of course, the balance of power will change. Tottenham will go the same way, when they create a 60,000-seater stadium. And they will be followed by Chelsea.

“It gives more resources to everybody and will make the league more competitive.”