Could Tottenham play its home matches at Upton Park in 2017?

The list of potential destinations for Tottenham's transitory 2017-18 season just got weird. Rumors, ahem, reports from the Daily Mail claim that Spurs are an option to fill the vacant Upton Park when West Ham make their permanent move to the Olympic Stadium this summer.

Why is this a possibility? Why would West Ham ever let this happen? The answer lies in the proposed housing development that is scheduled to be built upon the ashes of the Hammers former residence. The Newham Council, West Ham's version of the Haringey Council (kind of!), controls which firm will take the lead on the site's new construction and it seems that their initial choice has betrayed their requests. Gaillard Homes, London's self-proclaimed leading property developer, submitted a proposal that included the creation of 838 new homes in the area. While building residences is no problem, erecting homes that don't meet the allotted requirements of affordable housing, is. Supposedly Gaillard Homes is on the hook for constructing a development that includes 35 to 50 percent affordable housing, with some options for social rent. With their current bid representing just six percent affordable housing, Gaillard Homes and the Newham Council seem to be an ocean away in their visions for the new development.

If you've never traveled to Salzburg before, then now is the time, for you will need to an entire salt mine to even consider this rumor. The article is from the Daily Mail, a most dubious of sources, and the entire article provides a total of zero quotes throughout its contents. This is hearsay to the max right now and these conjectures don't look to be holding up in court.

That said, the most interesting cog in this conundrum is West Ham Football Club. It appears that the club has little control over what happens to Upton Park after they relocate to the Olympic Stadium. Clearly they have wishes; namely to ensure the sanctity of their old grounds by denying access to their London rival, but ultimately that decision may not be theirs to decide. The equivalent of the Scum filling up White Hart Lane for a season, it's probably a pretty repulsive idea to consider for the Hammers faithful.

For Spurs supporters, the thought of traveling to a rival's former stadium in East London isn't much better. The Boleyn Ground isn't revered for either its beauty or comfort, and is a clear downgrade to Wembley. Throwing on my rose-colored glasses though, at least this venue isn't 56 miles to the north of London's city limits. This rumor will probably die a slow, silent death, but until then Tottenham's fanbase should throw their collective hands over their ears, hum loudly, and not listen to any of this nonsense. It is Wembley we deserve, and with Daniel Levy, it is Wembley we will get. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.