In the sixth instalment of Metro’s In The Mixer, we’re looking at why Chelsea are the only side in the Premier League not to have a shirt sponsor this season. Sign up to receive this, plus exclusive analysis, insights and transfer talk straight to your inbox every week.
Chelsea’s current kits have a big blue space where a sponsor would sit, and while the owners would surely prefer a multi-million pound deal, they are still searching for a suitable ‘long-term’ partner.
Money makes the football world go round and shirt sponsorship deals are among the most lucrative for clubs in the Premier League.
For example, last year Manchester United extended their £300m deal to have Snapdragon appear on their shirts. What exactly is a ‘Snapdragon’? Only the ‘brand name for semiconductor company Qualcomm’s integrated circuit products’, of course.
United fans have Snapdragon (among other commercial partners) to thank for their ability to spend big on strikers this summer.
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The commercial side of the game is as important as ever, with PSR rules meaning clubs need to bring in lots of money to be able to spend. Liverpool’s success off the pitch is as important to ability to attract the best players as their winning on it.
Iconic football shirts have iconic sponsors. Think Liverpool and Carlsberg, Arsenal and JVC or Manchester United and Sharp.
Take a look around the Premier League now and the landscape has changed. Out are Samsung, Newcastle Brown Ale and Brother. In are Debet, Betano and Hollywood Bets (no prizes for guessing what they do).
The sponsorship game is heading for a big change in the next 12 months. From the start of next season, teams in the Premier League will not be allowed to have a gambling company on the front of their shirts.
It’s a move that means 11 sides will be forced to change sponsor next season.
Why do Chelsea not have a shirt sponsor?
After years of having Three emblazoned on their jerseys, Chelsea were thrown into an awkward situation when the mobile phone company suspended its sponsorship in 2022 after previous club owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government.
They were replaced in the short-term by sports tech company Infinite Athlete, and didn’t have a sponsor on the front of their shirts last season until April, but the club are now believed to be searching for the right ‘long-term’ partner.
One of the names bandied about is Riyadh Air, whose Saudi owners would be able to fork out the kinds of sums Chelsea’s owners would love.
But fans might prefer if they stayed away, with the club’s clean kits this season proving popular so far.
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