When it comes to sponsorship, Chelsea are in the same position they were a year ago – they’ve got a lot of the minor ones sorted, but they’re still without the centrepiece, the front of shirt logo which is the crown jewel in terms of price.
Again, we’ve reached the point of the new kits being released without anything on the front, meaning the potential value of a deal is already being eaten into. It took until October for Infinite Athlete to be added last year, meaning a less valuable contract for the Blues.
The club made sure that was just a one year deal, in the hopes that a bigger one could be sorted down the line. And it seems that logic may persist. Matt Law’s piece on the subject this afternoon claims that the club are “reluctant to commit to a long term agreement while the club is not in the Champions League, knowing that they could negotiate a far more lucrative deal if and when they qualify.”
It makes sense. but also shows a perhaps misplaced confidence that we will crack into the top 4 sooner rather than later. Are we really going to keep rolling one year deals on, signing them late in the summer or Autumn then desperately hoping we secure Champions League football that year?
Aiming high for years to come
A sensible solution would be a deal which changes in value according to the competition we’re in – but of course we’re sure that’s been suggested and worked on and discarded for a good reason. Let’s not forget that there are absolutely no guarantees that we get into the top 4 next season, with a rookie manager and a squad which still lacks a top goalkeeper, reliable defenders, balance in midfield and a truly efficient goalscorer.