Chelsea hit by new shirt sponsor blow after senior man quits
Chelsea have been hit by a new blow in their bid to land a lucrative front-of-shirt sponsorship deal after a senior figure has left the club.
Enzo Maresca’s side played the majority of last season without a primary shirt sponsor and have so far failed to agree a deal for the 2025-26 campaign.
Chelsea wanted to agree a £50million shirt deal in the summer of 2024 before being forced to lower their asking price as the season went on.
The Blues announced a short-term deal in April for DAMAC to appear on the front of their shirts for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
However, that deal didn’t continue into the summer’s Club World Cup and Chelsea have now started the new season without a shirt sponsor.
How much do Chelsea want from a front-of-shirt sponsor deal?
Chelsea are looking to agree a £60m deal for this season after holding talks with various interested parties on the back of their Club World Cup victory.
The London giants’ chances of landing a lucrative deal have just suffered a new blow following the departure of chief revenue officer Casper Stylsvig.
SportBusiness reported on Wednesday (17 September) Stylsvig has now left Stamford Bridge after spending less than two years in the role since arriving from AC Milan in November 2023.
The Dane also previously worked at Fulham, Manchester United and Barcelona before joining Chelsea.
Stylsvig’s departure raises various questions about where the Blues are currently at in their bid to land a new front-of-shirt sponsor deal.
Their last major shirt deal came in the 2023-24 campaign when Infinite Athlete agreed to pay £40m for a single season.
Chelsea have £70m hole in their accounts
Alongside their lack of a primary shirt deal, Chelsea also don’t have a sleeve sponsor for their first-team shirt or training kit.
Football Insider revealed on 16 August Chelsea have a £70m hole in their accounts without those three components in place, increasing the need for them to agree new partnerships soon.
The Blues’ revenue fell from £512m in 2022-23 to £468m in 2023-24 due to their lack of European football in that season.
However, their commercial revenue increased from £210m to £225m across the same period.
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