LONDON -- Arsene Wenger says West Ham "won the lottery" by getting to move into the Olympic Stadium next season, a deal the Arsenal boss says could make the London club a genuine contender for regular Champions League football.
Wenger himself had to operate with limited funds for years after Arsenal moved into the Emirates Stadium in 2006, which saddled the club with debts of £260 million. But West Ham have only paid £15m of the £272m it cost to rebuild the Olympic Stadium in Stratford from an athletics venue to a football stadium.
The club, who beat out Tottenham in a lengthy bidding process for the rights to the stadium, now plan to increase the capacity from 54,000 to 60,000 before the start of next season -- matching the Emirates.
And the thought of having a London rival get such a big and modern venue so cheaply drew a smile and a chuckle from Wenger ahead of his final trip to Upton Park on Saturday.
"I say well done, you have won the lottery and you do not have to sweat like I did for long years and fight for every pound," Wenger said. "So it's very well done. They have made a good deal and they negotiated very well. For me it's similar to the Man City situation. Man City got a new stadium for £20m, basically."
The City of Manchester Stadium was initially built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and was later converted into a football venue -- with Man City chipping in £20 million toward that project.
It's a far cry from Arsenal's own situation, as the club were forced to sell many of their best players to help pay off the financing for the stadium. At the same time, Wenger had to look for bargains on the transfer market, while still ensuring that the Gunners finished in the top four of the Premier League every season to keep the Champions League millions rolling in.
"For me, the first six years were very difficult. Financially, I mean. You go into April and you think if you are not in the Champions League you're in trouble," Wenger said. "That has been super difficult."
West Ham are already challenging for a Champions League spot this season, sitting just three points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
The added matchday revenue from the bigger stadium will only make them more competitive in the future, and Wenger said the Hammers have every chance of becoming regular top-four contenders. Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea also have plans to build their own 60,000-seaters.
"That gives more resources to everybody and will make the league much more competitive," the Frenchman said.
For West Ham, the bargain deal for the Olympic Stadium could also make the club much more attractive for foreign investors, Wenger added.
"It's possible. When you look back 20 years, the owners were all local when I arrived. And that has all changed. You could think that West Ham could go the same way as well."