Tottenham facing crucial week over future as Wembley decisions beckon

Tottenham enter a week crucial to their future on Thursday when they learn whether they could play every home game before a full house at Wembley next season.

With Spurs second in the Premier League and in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, there is plenty at stake on the pitch – but even more off it.

Brent Council’s planning committee meet on Thursday to decide whether to grant Wembley’s request to stage an additional 22 events at full capacity between August 1 this year and July 31, 2018. Tottenham will be represented at the meeting although, as of earlier on Thursday, chairman Daniel Levy was not expected to attend.

Wembley has space for five more events within its current cap, taking the total to 27. It is also thought there is room for negotiation should Spurs make excellent progress in all cup competitions next season, leading to extra home fixtures.

The committee have been advised by Brent officers to give the application the green light. If they do not, Tottenham face the prospect of playing some games in front of a maximum attendance of 51,000 - yet this is not the only obstacle facing the club as they seek clarity on the immediate future.

The idea is simple: this will be Tottenham’s final season at White Hart Lane. They will play home matches at Wembley in 2017-18, before occupying their 61,000-seat stadium – a project costing £800million – in time for the 2018-19 campaign. Making the idea reality, though, is quite another matter.

Tottenham have still to announce formally that they will make the switch to Wembley next term. The original deadline agreed with the FA was March 31, though it is unclear what happens if Spurs fail to meet this. At this stage, the club say they still plan to give an answer by next Friday.

Preparations have been made behind the scenes for a celebration at White Hart Lane around the last home game of the season, against Manchester United over the weekend of May 13-14.

Standard Sport understands that Premier League officials are already in discussions with clubs about fixture arrangements for 2017-18, meaning that time is short.

If Tottenham decide the timetable is too tight, it may mean spending next season at White Hart Lane before moving to Wembley in 2018-19 and to their new ground in 2019-20.