Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Sat 30 May 2026 8:15, UK

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Aston Villa have cause for concern after revealing their new home kit ahead of the 2026-27 campaign without a front-of-shirt sponsor.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that multiple Premier League clubs are in the same boat, with the Villans falling behind in their plans.

Villa’s sponsorship with Betano is set to expire this summer, with gambling companies set to be banned from becoming front-of-shirt sponsors from the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign.

Attempting to find a replacement is clearly much harder than expected. Villa have released their home kit ahead of next season, but Borson has sounded the alarm bells due to the current situation.

Aston Villa issue sends ‘warning sign’ across the Premier League

While there remains plenty of time for a front-of-shirt sponsor to be found ahead of next season, the lack of one at the end of the season has raised a lot of questions at Villa Park.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “It’s not Villa alone. I think there’s a big red flag over commercial interest in Premier League teams at the moment.

“Those about to launch a number of kits are Newcastle, Chelsea, Villa, and I think Nottingham Forest as well, who, as far as I’m aware, all have not yet got front-of-shirt sponsors.

“Clearly, with the betting companies exiting, some very, very big clubs have found it very difficult to get value in the market. And that’s really the difference between what they perceive it to be worth, let’s say £30million-£40million per annum, if you’re a Champions League team.

“In an ideal world, what you would do is way, way before, so September, October, November of the year before, you’d be signing the contract, and you’d be announcing that at the end of next season or the end of this season.

“Some fans would like no sponsor, but it’s bad for the brand that’s taking the partnership. And it means that they’d miss out on quite a meaningful part of the brand partnership. So, none of it’s planned.

“It’s a failure of the process or bids that haven’t been big enough. The fact that Villa are in the Champions League, of course, gives them the chance of getting a good sponsor for next season. But it was never the plan to wait until this point.

“And we’ll just have to see what they can muster up from the market, whether it’s £20m, £25m, even though they haven’t got this window selling the initial replica.

“It’s a bit of a warning sign across the league. The £20m, £30m, £40m-a-year revenue stream that this represents is not safe. And it’s a lot of money.”

Who could become Villa’s next front-of-shirt sponsors?

The Villans are in a race against time to find a replacement in a deal reportedly worth around £40million across two seasons, but it is not all doom and gloom at Villa Park.

It is understood that multiple companies are ready to sponsor the Villans next season, including Coca-Cola, Audi and Xapo Bank. No deal has yet been agreed, or at least announced to the public.

Villa have recently posted Coca-Cola-sponsored content, sparking rumours that they could soon be the club’s new front-of-shirt sponsors, but it has not been confirmed or denied yet.

Aston Villa have earned £40million in prize money after winning the Europa League, which will come as a huge boost, but until the shirt sponsor situation is fixed, it will continue to hang over Villa Park.