(I'll merge this into the stadium thread after a few days - but thought it worthy of it's own thread for now)..
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/tottenham-not-allowed-to-alter-wembley-pitch-scgm5mzdf
Tottenham not allowed to alter Wembley pitch
exclusive
Matt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent | Gary Jacob
June 20 2017, 12:01am,
The Times
Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a setback in their preparations for moving to Wembley next season after being told by the Premier League that they will not be able to alter the dimensions of the pitch to replicate those of White Hart Lane.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side won only one of the five matches they played at Wembley last season, in Europe and the FA Cup semi-final, with Tottenham also failing to win their previous four matches at the national stadium stretching back to the 2008 League Cup final. This has led to discussions as to whether the larger pitch was a contributory factor to the club’s poor results.
Tottenham also discussed the possibility of seeking to reduce the size of the Wembley pitch in the belief that a smaller playing area would aid Pochettino’s trademark pressing game, as The Times revealed last month, but it was made clear to them at a meeting of the 20 Premier League chairmen this month that such a change would not be permitted.
The Premier League introduced a new rule two years ago standardising pitch sizes at 105metres x 68metres, with exceptions only permitted in situations where it is “impossible to comply with rule K21 due to the ground’s construction.”
Chelsea, Everton and Liverpool are among seven Premier League clubs who receive an exemption to have a smaller pitch due to limited space at their grounds, but that does not apply at Wembley, where the pitch is 105m x 69m.
Tottenham will therefore go from having the second smallest pitch in the Premier League next season — only Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium at 100m x 66m has a smaller playing area than White Hart Lane’s 100m x 67m — to the largest, although they could ask the FA to trim its width by one metre.
Newly promoted Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion already comply with the Premier League’s pitch regulations, but Championship play-off winners Huddersfield Town have been asked to increase the size of their pitch.
Tottenham’s new stadium will also be made to the have the standard Premier League pitch size when it opens at the start of the 2018-19 season as there are no space restrictions on the adjacent site.
Pochettino is well aware of the potential complications caused by playing on a bigger pitch and a replica of the Wembley surface was marked out at the club’s training ground at the start of last season, although that did not improve their results in their temporary home.
In another blow to Tottenham’s preparations, Érik Lamela is not expected to be in contention to play until October, meaning that he will be sidelined by a hip injury for a year.
The Tottenham Hotspur attacker has had operations on both hips in Barcelona in the past three months and has started his rehabilitation work at home in Argentina. His last appearance was in the 2-1 EFL Cup fourth-round defeat to Liverpool on October 25.
Tottenham have not previously put a timescale on Lamela’s return after a frustrating season. He returned to Argentina late last year to deal with a family matter, while he also spent much of January working with Damiano Stefanini, the physiotherapist at Roma, his former club. His extended absence led to suggestions he was unhappy in England but Pochettino, the Tottenham manager, has ruled out selling him. Lamela was in discussions to extend his contract beyond 2019 at the time of his injury. He joined from Roma for up to £30 million in 2013.
Danny Rose will also miss the start of the season. The left back is likely to return to training in August after having an operation last month on a knee injury sustained in January.
