Spurs are about to get left at home as Manchester pair and Chelsea kick on

After making it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season, Tottenham should really be pushing ahead. 

Instead, as they procrastinate over where a new stadium should be and how much it should cost, they are set to stand still as Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City move on to the next level.

Tough talk over Luka Modric and Gareth Bale is all very well. So is having a good old snigger at the difficulties of their neighbours and hated rivals, Arsenal.

But anyone from Tottenham making fun of the major fault lines appearing in the Arsene Wenger project should prepare for it to come back to haunt them. 

Sooner rather than later, too, based on the way things are going with the so far illusory new 56,000-seat stadium that is supposed to secure Spurs' future.

If Arsenal are to become the top four's selling club because they are not winning trophies or will not pay the highest wages, what is going to happen to Spurs?

Tottenham, restricted by the 36,000-seat White Hart Lane, are already seen as vulnerable to big-money bids for their best players as they reside on the rung below the genuine title contenders.

The cost of them climbing is prohibitive without a bigger, new home that can accommodate the fans on their waiting list and significantly increase their income. 

Manager Harry Redknapp's magic wand cannot be waved every season and the longer Spurs do nothing, the worse things will become. 

Yet, it is nearly three years since Tottenham announced they were going to build a new stadium next to White Hart Lane.

It is eight years since they started buying up and taking options on properties surrounding their ground to facilitate the move. 

No-one is any wiser about where Spurs will be playing in a decade though. 

The Northumberland Park Development Project, as the plan for a new ground near their historical home is called, has been on and off like a strobe light at a nightclub. 

The current position is that it has planning permission and could be revived if the government agree to contribute to the £450million cost from its Regional Growth Fund. 

Spurs' bid for funding has just been submitted but they will not know if they are one of the lucky few until around October. 

Due diligence and negotiations over the amount they might get from the £950m pot could take a further six months and Levy should not hold his breath. 

Of the 450 who applied in the last round for cash, 400 missed out, and a long-term strategy for growth and job creation is required of all successful applicants.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2011708/Leos-London-Spurs-left-home.html#ixzz1RKH8Qvai