Chelsea are expected to start the season without a shirt sponsor for the second year in a row.
Infinite Athlete, last year’s sponsor, only signed a one-year deal but later agreed to continue appearing on the club’s shirt during pre-season.
But Although Chelsea kicks off their Premier League campaign on Sunday with a home game against Manchester City (the game will be broadcast live on television), the club is still without a main sponsor.
Although there will be no sponsor on the front of their jersey for Sunday’s game, an announcement of another short-term deal to tide them over for this season is expected soon.
People on both sides familiar with the partnership agreement, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships, have clarified that Infinite Athlete will not be the jersey sponsor.
What’s the latest?
There were no problems when it comes to Chelsea are currently negotiating player contracts, including the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto for an initial €60 million (£51.4 million; $65.5 million), but have struggled to find a major sponsor.
Chelsea’s shirt for the 2024–25 season will be sold on the website without a sponsor on the front of the shirt. The club will be the only Premier League club to start the season without a partner.
A new sponsor is expected to be announced shortly and is expected to be of a similar value to what Infinite Athlete paid for the 2023-24 season – around £40 million.
Have you had discussions with potential partners?
There were talks with Riyadh Air, an airline owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, but a multi-year partnership to sponsor the men’s and women’s teams could not be found.
In the past there have also been talks with Kaiyun Sports, a betting website.
In September last year The athlete reported that Chelsea was looking for a total package of up to £60m per year for front-of-shirt sponsorship, which would include the men’s and women’s teams and compete with Arsenal’s shirt deal with Emirates.
The women’s team, however, Are for the coming season sponsored by Three, a British telecommunications company.
What happened last season?
Chelsea entered the 2023–24 season without a shirt sponsor after failing to replace Three at the end of a three-year contract in 2023.
After playing the first eight games without a shirt sponsor, the club announced a short-term deal with Infinite Athlete, who had already signed a multi-year partnership..
Chelsea’s shirt last season after a sponsor was found (Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
Infinite Athlete reached an agreement with Chelsea, so that its logo will appear on the front of the men’s shirts for one season and it will sponsor the sleeve of the club’s training shirts from 2024 to 2025.
This short-term deal allowed the club to sign a more lucrative contract for the 2024–25 season if they qualified for the Champions League.
However, having failed to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition, they find themselves in the same situation as last year. Infinite Athlete was not expected to deviate from its strategic plan and commit to being a shirt sponsor for the second consecutive season.
Can you find a new partner after the campaign starts?
Last year’s deal with Infinite Athlete showed that this is possible.
Premier League rules require that all transactions, be they player transfers or commercial deals, are reviewed to ensure they do not exceed “fair market value”.
Although it is unusual for clubs to announce shirt sponsorship deals during the season, commercial partnerships are regularly announced through the league.
And as long as they are to be “fair market value”, there are rarely problems.
Why does Chelsea like to accept short-term contracts?
Chelsea will consider signing a long-term contract as the transfer fee will not be as high as if the club were playing in the Champions League.
There are fears of signing a multi-year contract at a lower salary than the Champions League clubs and then qualifying for the competition at the end of this season.
This would put them at a financial disadvantage compared to their national competitors, who can demand higher transfer fees due to their participation in the lucrative European club competitions.
Entering into a short-term contract with a company maintains cash flow This will allow them to survive the season and reassess where they stand next summer.
Chelsea when their shirt was sponsored by Three (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
The hope is that they will qualify for the Champions Leagueto maximize their commercial value.
Aren’t brands afraid to sign one-year contracts?
There is some debate as to whether it makes financial sense for a company to enter into such a short-term, multi-million pound contract.
Yes, it gets the company attention, but it basically means that if Chelsea qualify for the Champions League.
The alternative to a move after one year, when Chelsea are back in the Champions League, is the realisation that the transfer fee for the extension of the partnership is significantly higher than What it had initially paid.
A bonus One possible reason for a short-term deal is that sources at Chelsea, who wished to remain anonymous, have suggested that it will also last through the revamped Club World Cup in the USA next summer.
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In theory, this should be an attractive offer to potential partners, as participating in a FIFA competition in the United States is likely to bring attention.
(Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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