BREAKING NEWS: Chelsea unveil their new ’90s-inspired’ home shirt WITHOUT a sponsor after failing to agree a big-money deal in time – and warn fans it won’t even be available until after the season starts
Chelsea’s new home kit has been released for the 2023-24 season without a front-of-shirt sponsor.
The Blues dropped official photos of several stars – both former and present – posing in their new jerseys for the upcoming season.
Alongside the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Reece James were Champions League-winning manager Roberto Di Matteo and Dennis Wise.
Mail Sport exclusively reported that they had failed to attract an appropriate commercial partner, becoming the first time a Big Six club to have no sponsor on the front of their shirt upon launch.
In releasing the new shirt on Monday morning, Chelsea also warned fans that although no agreement had been reached with a sponsor, these may change prior to the star of the season.
Chelsea have released their official kit for the new season without a front-of-shirt sponsor
The Blues have gone with a 90s-inspired design that is becoming increasingly popular for Premier League clubs
The Premier League’s most expensive player Enzo Fernandez posed in the club’s new jersey
A Chelsea statement read: ‘Fans should be aware that the 2023/24 home kit that features on pitch may subsequently feature a front-of-shirt partner. The club will communicate any changes to the kit in due course.’
This comes after the west London side’s failure to secure a big-money sponsorship deal with the club, after the end of an agreement with telecoms giants Three.
That deal had seen them receive £40million-a-year, although reports now suggest that the club should expect less in a new agreement, nearer the £25m-a-year mark.
The Blues had seemingly twice identified a partner for their shirt sponsor, with Paramount+ and betting company Stake both linked.
However, a deal with the former was blocked by the Premier League as it was thought to potentially upset rights holders for the division.
The international streaming service does not broadcast Premier League matches in the UK, and would not be permitted under the Deed of License, which is the contract between clubs and Premier League.
The latter on the other hand was opposed by fans, with some 77 per cent indicating that they would not be supportive of having the betting company as their partner.
As revealed by Mail Sport, Stake’s British website is powered by Isle of Man firm TGP, who have been controlled in the past by a Chinese billionaire, Alvin Chau, who has links to criminal Triad gangs.
He was jailed earlier this year for 18 years after being found guilty of more than 100 charges relating to organised crime and illegal gambling, and TGP’s command structure remains opaque.
The Premier League has also banned betting companies form being front-of-shirt sponsors on kits from the 2025-26 season.
The shirt itself is inspired by the increasingly-popular 90’s designs that are now a regular feature for big clubs in the Premier League.
Rivals Arsenal and Manchester United produced particularly popular kits last season drawing similar inspiration from the decade.
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