Liverpool hit by major £80m blow that will impact Newcastle United, Man Utd & Arsenal as decision made

The new Anfield Road stand has been under construction since 2021 and was expected to be complete and operational by the start of the 2023-24 Premier League season.

But several issues have delayed the expansion, with original contractors, the Buckingham Group, going into administration in August. Liverpool have since contracted Rayner Rowen Construction to finish the expansion of the Anfield Road stand which is due to increase the stadium’s capacity by 7,000 to 61,000.

The club have confirmed the Anfield Road upper tier will remain closed until the New Year, with Anfield operating at a reduced capacity of around 48,000. Liverpool were unable to give a timescale as to when the £80million expansion of the stand will be complete.

Liverpool chief executive officer Billy Hogan said: “Over the course of the last few days it has become clear that in order to complete a thorough assessment of that project completion timeline, it’s going to take longer than really we first thought.

“Ultimately, what that means for supporters is that until we have visibility of all the information needed, we’re going to have to maintain the status quo for the remainder of the calendar year, essentially meaning capacity at Anfield will remain the same as for the previous home games that we’ve seen this season.

“This is a decision that was made in order for us to give time for ourselves, for external consultants as well as for Rayner Rowen to continue with the assessment of the project and ultimately to finalise the project timeline.”

As a result, key fixtures at Anfield before the turn of the year will be played at a reduced capacity. This includes three consecutive home matches against Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle in December.

Next weekend’s Merseyside derby will also be impacted with fans who had purchased tickets for the upper tier unable to attend.

“The schedule we had been told was that ultimately the upper tier would be open in some capacity for the Everton game, which is ultimately why we went ahead with the ticket sales,” Hogan added.

“The reality is, we’re just really now beginning to get a clear understanding of what the reality of the delays are.

“We are really disappointed to have to deliver this news and really sorry for all those supporters who are impacted.

“I realise this is of little solace. This a really complex and deeply frustrating situation.”