Tottenham stadium not finished by this season!

TOTTENHAM’S new stadium will not be completed by the end of this season.

The club still hope to play Crystal Palace at the £1 billion stadium in March — but even then there will still be building issues to be resolved.

A source close to the build revealed: ‘There are large areas that will simply not be finished in time. But if you can safely get fans in and out, provide toilets and food, the stadium could still host games before the end of the season, even while the finishing touches remain. The vast majority of the hospitality lounges are ready to go.’

Spurs were this week forced to confirm that games in February against Newcastle, Leicester and Borussia Dortmund would now take place at Wembley. And the Premier League will lose patience and force them to remain there until the end of the season if the stadium is not ready to host Brighton on April 6.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has promised a further update on the stadium within three weeks — after the club issued the latest delay.

The Premier League remain supportive of the club’s situation but officials will not rule out forcing Spurs to remain at Wembley if delays continue. Officials have concerns over competitive advantages to the north London club, as well as their remaining opponents.

The Londoners have just three more home matches in the Premier League after Brighton — too few in the eyes of the Premier League.

A source close to the Premier League said: ‘There are doubts about letting Spurs play at home for just two or three games this season but all will become clearer after Daniel Levy’s next statement. It would be strange if the new stadium was ready and not used but there is the issue of competitive advantage.’

The Brighton deadline effectively gives the club two months to fix complex critical safety systems and run scheduled events without any major hitches, before safety bosses can give the green light.

Levy thanked fans for their continued patience, adding: ‘We shall now seek clarity in respect of building test schedules and test event dates and provide further information on these in the next two to three weeks.’

Spurs, who host Manchester United at Wembley today, face Huddersfield and West Ham in April after the Brighton game, before finishing the season at ‘home’ to Everton on May 12.

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock said this month that the Premier League should force Tottenham to play at Wembley for the remainder of the season, adding: ‘They should step in now. It should be until the end of the season now, they should enforce it. It undermines the integrity of the competition.’