Tottenham Hotspur are confident of beating Chelsea and Newcastle United in the battle to cash in on lucrative stadium sponsorship.

Ron Gourlay, the new Chelsea chief executive, said in yesterday’s Times that his club would consider selling naming rights to Stamford Bridge and it has been suggested that any deal could command as much as £10 million per season.

Newcastle have also put St James’ Park sponsorship on the market, but Paul Barber, the Tottenham executive director, believes his club’s plan to build a new stadium at White Hart Lane gives them an advantage.

“I think the key thing is that word ‘new,’ ” he said. “It is a new stadium as opposed to White Hart Lane and that’s the fundamental difference to what Newcastle have done and what Chelsea are planning.

“We have a number of companies in mind but we would see a premium, for a brand new stadium, over Stamford Bridge or St James’ Park.”

The willingness of Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle to sell their ground’s names contrasts with the stance of Aston Villa.

Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, stressed the importance of his club’s heritage. “I’d be very much against it, it’s one thing if you’ve got a new ground, like when Arsenal moved from Highbury to the Emirates, but even then, what happens after a few years if that sponsorship runs out?” he said. “I can’t see Villa Park being called anything else and I know that’s the chairman’s view, but if other clubs think it’s a way of raising revenue, who’s to say they shouldn’t.”