Chelsea may not be able to get things done efficiently on the pitch, but off it, they continue to take strides.
Todd Boehly, the club’s American owner, has blown away a number of European clubs in his first two transfer windows at Chelsea in order to bring top talents to Stamford Bridge. How they’ve fared so far and how they’ll fit into their next manager’s plans is a topic for another day.
But Boehly and the company are in discussions to agree to another massive deal, though that will not improve the team’s quality. But it will certainly have an impact on how the players look.
According to Sky News, Chelsea owners are in talks with Allianz, the German insurance giant, about taking over as the club’s principal shirt sponsor. Mobile company Three, who are Chelsea’s current shirt sponsors, will see their deal expire at the end of the season. The deal is reported to be worth £40m annually.
Chelsea hope to find an agreement with a new sponsor ahead of the 2023-24 season, and it’s understood the hierarchy are confident of landing a more lucrative deal than the one Chelsea agreed with Three in 2020 – £120m for three seasons.
The London giants find themselves in a precarious situation. Their massive spending – which in January was more than the combined outlay by clubs in Serie A, La Liga, and Ligue 1 – has not had any influence on their result, leading to the sacking of two different managers in the same season, and has only heightened uncertainty regarding the club’s finances.
Chelsea are almost certain to miss out on European football, as they sit 12th on the Premier League table. Currently, they are closer to the relegation zone (10-point gap with 18th-placed Leicester City) than the Europa Conference League position (15-point gap with 7th-placed Aston Villa). Their next game is against Arsenal and not many Chelsea faithful are expecting any positive result from the game.
The failure to secure European football will reportedly ‘hamper’ Chelsea’s ability to obtain a ‘bumper price’ from a new sponsor.
Whether they managed to strike a deal with Allianz remains to be seen, with several companies thought to be vying to replace Three. But on social media, there are already ‘leaked images’ of the potential home shirt for the new season with Allianz’s name in front.
Allianz’s blue colour logo fits perfectly with Chelsea’s primary colour. But the leaked images suggest the font will be gold in colour along with the club’s own logo.
The underside of the sleeve is white, finished with a gold strip. It’s a simple, yet beautiful combination.
If the deal is agreed upon, Chelsea will be the biggest club to flaunt shirts with Allianz’s name on it, at present.
However, the German insurer already has an important presence in European football. They have the naming rights for the home stadiums of Bayern Munich and Juventus.