Tottenham could share new home with NFL all next season

TOTTENHAM are in talks with the Oakland Raiders over a ground share for a full eight-game NFL home season next year.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are yet to play a single game in the refurbished White Hart Lane and Oakland were due to play there in October. But stadium delays saw their game with the Seattle Seahawks moved to Wembley.

The 62,000-seater White Hart Lane features a full NFL field — the artificial surface sitting below the retractable grass pitch.

This would avoid a repeat of the muddy pitch seen at Wembley this autumn following an Anthony Joshua fight, three NFL games, Tottenham’s Premier League fixtures and England internationals.

NFL commentator and writer Ray Glazer revealed: ‘London is now an option for the Raiders. It is being discussed for them to play there next year. They are still trying to figure it out. The Raiders are discussing it. Do they play four home games, four away games, and back and forth again?

‘The Raiders don’t have a home next year. London is a

possibility as of now.’ The Raiders’ potential switch to London comes because the lease on the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum has expired and their new stadium in Las Vegas will not be completed before the 2020 season.

While owner Mark Davis would like to stay, the City of Oakland filed a lawsuit against the franchise and the NFL over their controversial move to Las Vegas.

That leaves the franchise homeless.

One option is to play at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco baseball team, another is to share Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara with the San Francisco 49ers. Or they could play in San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium, which was vacated by the Chargers ahead of their move to Los Angeles in 2017.

But White Hart Lane is a serious contender to play host.

The Raiders have played two games in Wembley Stadium in London as part of the NFL International Series.

In 2014, they lost to the Dolphins 38-14 and earlier this season, they lost to the Seahawks 27-3.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has regularly talked up London as a host city for an NFL franchise. In October he said: ‘I feel this market, without question, could have an NFL team. There’s no question a team could be successful here.’

Tottenham have declined to comment.