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The redevelopment of Liverpool's Anfield Road Stand is poised to continue after the club appointed new contractors to carry on the work.
The Reds were disappointed to learn last month that Buckingham Group – the company initially hired to complete the £80million project – had entered administration. And fans were understandably concerned about what that might mean for the timeline of the renovation and when it would be completed.
Liverpool have yet to update their proposed finish date, though they have at least found an alternative contractor to resume the job. The club have been hosting games with a reduced capacity of a little less than 50,000 so far this season, which will still be the case for their upcoming fixtures.
A club statement read: "Following Buckingham Group confirming that it has appointed administrators, we have now taken control of the Anfield Road Stand construction site and have appointed Rayner Rowen Construction, along with a number of other contractors, to resume the final works on the project.
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"Work will begin now to fully assess the construction programme and Rayner Rowen will work swiftly with our internal team to produce a revised project completion programme, which will give us certainty on capacity and phasing."
The timing couldn't be better for the Merseysiders, with European club football currently on hold during the international break. Jurgen Klopp's side won't play at Anfield again until September 24 when they host West Ham.
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The club went on to say they expect to 'incrementally phase in' their additional capacity over the course of their next three home games. They also expressed sympathy for "all those employees and contractors who face uncertainty at this time."
The ongoing works haven't got in the way of Liverpool's performances so far this term, with Klopp & Co. winning each of their two home outings against Bournemouth and Aston Villa. The club currently sit joint-second in the Premier League, two points below leaders Manchester City after four games.
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"Everyone at LFC is looking forward to getting the stand completed and fully open, and we are doing everything possible to make sure that happens as quickly and safely as possible," the club statement concluded. "We would like to thank all fans for their support and understanding while we work to resolve this unfortunate situation."
The total capacity of Anfield will increase by around 7,000 to 61,000 seats when project is complete. That will put the club fourth in the Premier League picking order of largest stadia, with only Manchester United (74,000), Tottenham (62,850) and West Ham (62,500) boasting bigger venues.
- Liverpool FC
- Premier League
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