Aston Villa: Champions League qualification to make ‘massive’ difference in shirt sponsor talks

Aston Villa qualifying for the Champions League will make a “massive” difference in their bid to land a lucrative front-of-shirt sponsorship deal. 

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider Villa are showing good momentum following their exploits on the field this season.  

Unai Emery’s side agreed a front-of-shirt deal with Greek gambling firm Betano in 2024, with the partnership reportedly worth £40m over two seasons. 

However, the deal is set to end this summer ahead of the Premier League ban on gambling sponsorships coming into effect from the start of the 2026-27 campaign. 

Villa could benefit financially from a new agreement, but qualifying for the Champions League will help in the negotiations with interested parties. 

How Champions League qualification could impact Aston Villa commercially

Villa currently sit fourth in the Premier League, with five places expected to be on offer for Champions League qualification again this season. 

Meanwhile, the West Midlands giants are into the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they will face Bologna this month. 

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson discussed how qualifying for the Champions League could impact Villa’s chances of landing a significant front-of-shirt sponsorship deal. 

“If they can get another Champions League season, then it's going to make a massive difference,” said Borson. 

“They've got the two routes in there. Either they get there through the top five or they win the Europa League. It probably is slightly better commercially if they can do it through the league, but only very slightly. 

“They've shown themselves now to be very well managed, to have some very good players and to have good momentum, which will be good for an advertiser.” 

How Aston Villa could land £20m shirt sponsor deal

Borson insisted Villa could get £20m a year from a shirt deal despite the upcoming ban on gambling sponsorships.

“Value wise, they are probably sitting nicely between what Chelsea want for their front of shirt at let's say £40m and offering what would be perceived to be better value or a wider audience say than Everton, just because of the Champions League potential,” said Borson. 

“They should be able to get £20m for that front of shirt given what they've done on the field. That will definitely help push them in the right direction.” 

Villa posted their latest accounts for last season earlier this week, showing their turnover increased dramatically from £276m in 2023-24 to £378m last season after reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League. 

Meanwhile, the club's sponsorship revenue at Villa Park surged from £42m to £70m across the same period.