Chelsea finally have a front-of-shirt sponsor after agreeing a £40m deal with Infinite Athlete until the end of the season.
The Blues went into the new campaign without a sponsor on their shirt after Three requested to end the agreement last season following Roman Abramovich’s assets being frozen.
Chelsea tried and failed with multiple companies to get a lucrative sponsor
Adrian Kajumba of Mail Online said the Blues were in talks with Paramount +, Stake, Allianz, Saudi Arabian airline Riyadh Air and a cryptocurrency firm to no avail, but they now have Premier League approval to confirm Infinite Athlete.
Chelsea will hold talks with the US-based data company about sponsorship beyond the 2023/24 campaign too. The Blues confirmed on their official website that the brand will first appear on the women’s teams’ playing kits and training kit sleeve when they lock horns with Tottenham in the Women’s Super League on Sunday.
It will then be on the men’s kits ahead of Monday’s Premier League meeting with Fulham.
Chelsea among the Premier League top earners after sponsorship deal
BBC Sport say Manchester City earn more than £70m-a-year from their long-term deal with Etihad while Dan Cancion of Mail Online notes that Manchester United should earn £60m-a-year with Snapdragon when their Team Viewer deal expires at the end of the season.
Liverpool are third on the list of high earners, making around £50m a year through their deal with Standard Chartered, so Chelsea’s partnership has them on par with Arsenal (£40m-a-year with Fly Emirates) and Tottenham Hotspur (£41m-a-year with AIA Group).
Todd Boehly making Chelsea more profitable after £1bn transfer spend
Todd Boehly took a big risk spending £1bn on transfers since his takeover of Chelsea, as he needed to prove the club could be self-sufficient so they don’t fall foul of Financial Fair Play.
The new sponsorship deal is a step in the right direction, as it could make them more than £200m over five years if they keep the partnership going beyond this season.
