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Manchester City’s imposing revamp of the Etihad Stadium will be complete for next season, with Pep Guardiola’s side afforded a new state-of-the-art circular dressing room.
The huge project, taking place under the Colin Bell Stand, incorporates a glass players’ tunnel designed for some supporters to see some of the world’s best lining up before matches.
City have released striking images of the development, which will see those paying for the privilege able to dine in new executive lounges with a full view of both teams emerging from the dressing rooms.
Those will be completely fresh for the 2017-18 campaign, with bosses at the club insistent that their current facilities needed upgrading in keeping with their standing among the continent’s elite.
Guardiola was consulted among others on the design of the new circular home room, which is based on the concept at the club’s plush training complex nearby on campus.
They were keen to own the latest advancements in preparation and recovery tools, with new hydrotherapy pools set to be installed for stars to use immediately after games.
Additional warm-up sections will also be built. The changing areas had not been altered since 2011 and City were wary of not falling behind direct rivals at home and in the Champions League.
Its shape was decided upon in order to mirror the City Football Academy and to quash any possibility of cliques developing within any of their squads in the future, with everybody in full view of all other team-mates.
Guardiola is also understood to have given feedback and ultimately signed off his new office at the Etihad, with the project in motion before they lured him from Bayern Munich.
Their new hospitality enclosure, coined The Tunnel Club, will bring fans closer to the players than ever before and is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe.
The concept is based on one currently in use at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in American Football’s NFL.
Construction work is about to step up and Sportsmail understands City will use a different tunnel from the start of January when they face Sean Dyche’s Burnley. The temporary switch will see them stride out from nearer the corner flag at the North Stand end.
That is before the unprecedented access given to hospitality ticket holders as of next season. Tunnel Club members will watch as players saunter down a staircase surrounded by glass on their way to the pitch and then wait to be led out by the referee.
Relevant authorities have passed the new build – even if opposition managers may hold reservations about its openness – and City have released tunnel footage from matches for a number of years regardless.
Players will not be able to see through the glass and there is no danger of mischievous fans antagonising rivals.
Those in hospitality will also be privy to tactical insight from the performance analysis on matchdays, as well as being beamed post-match interviews in the lounges.
The TV interviews will be shown on a circular screen underneath the home dressing room, equipment which will also flash up statistics and Guardiola’s starting XI before kick-off.
