Exclusive: Arsenal plan to agree £20m deal after ditching controversial sponsor
Arsenal are looking to agree a deal worth around £20million a year with a new sleeve sponsorship partner, sources have told Football Insider.
Visit Rwanda has been Arsenal’s sleeve sponsor since 2018, but it has been a highly controversial deal among the club’s supporters.
Arsenal held talks about extending their partnership with Visit Rwanda before confirming the deal will now come to an end next summer.
It is understood the agreement with the African country’s tourist board is worth around £10m a year.
Sources have told Football Insider Arsenal are looking to land a deal worth closer to £20m with a new sponsor.
Arsenal end sponsor deal after fan protests
The initial deal with Visit Rwanda was signed for three years in 2018 before later being extended in 2021 for a further five years.
In a statement on 19 November, Mikel Arteta’s side confirmed the two parties had “mutually agreed to conclude their partnership”.
It comes after Arsenal fans have protested against the partnership, with Rwanda’s government accused of investing in sport to improve its image globally.
It is also widely known Rwandan president Paul Kagame is a Gunners fan, raising questions around whether the sponsorship deal has really represented value for his country.
The partnership coming to an end has come as a surprise to many after Visit Rwanda was recently announced as the official international tourism sponsor of the LA Rams, strengthening ties with Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, who also owns the NFL franchise.
The tourist board has also agreed a similar deal with NBA franchise the LA Clippers, while it has other partnerships already in place with PSG, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
Ex-Man City sponsor makes contact over Arsenal deal
There are believed to be several parties interested in taking up the Gunners’ sleeve sponsorship once Visit Rwanda’s deal comes to an end.
Football Insider revealed on 10 October Arsenal have been approached by German software company SAP about a potential deal.
SAP is in the mix to land Arsenal’s sleeve sponsorship after it didn’t extend its partnership with the City Football Group (CFG) – the owners of Manchester City.
The Walldorf-based firm, which has a market cap of more than £250billion, was previously a global sponsor of CFG from 2015 before the deal wasn’t extended earlier this year.
In terms of the financial situation at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal generated the third-highest revenue in the Premier League in their latest published accounts for 2023-24, with their turnover surging from £467m in 2022-23 to £617m.
Meanwhile, their commercial income increased from £169m to £218m across the same period.
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