EVERTON chief executive Robert Elstone has re-opened the possibility of the club redeveloping Goodison Park but remains optimistic a new stadium can be built in the city.

EVERTON chief executive Robert Elstone has re-opened the possibility of the club redeveloping Goodison Park but remains optimistic a new stadium can be built in the city.

Plans for a �400m project, in conjunction with Tesco, to build a new stadium at Kirkby were rejected recently and, although the club would still like to find a new home, Elstone said the Toffees may have to look closer to home if building a new ground is deemed unaffordable.

“We've met with developers and land owners and we've also commissioned a fresh look at Goodison Park with a highly-recommended architect who had no involvement in Kirkby or our previous reviews of Goodison,” he said.

“He's currently looking at previous plans alongside developing his own ideas.

“Of course, the well-reported challenges remain: roads, shops, houses, a school, a church, a pub, a garage most of which will need to be addressed in one way or another for us to go forward in a way that makes commercial sense.

“In short, the challenges of working with a stadium footprint housing 50 per cent more fans than The Reebok, in pretty much the same space, remain.”