Kieran Maguire: Man City are taking a ‘gamble’ after £4m+ deal agreed
Wega may have taken a “gamble” with their sponsorship deal with Man City in the hopes that it could revive their reputation and business record.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about City’s association with the contactless card payments platform, which has been ongoing since 2015.
Research from Off The Pitch published last Thursday (30 June) shows that Wega have sold just 145 pre-paid cards despite having paid City £4million throughout the course of their relationship.
The firm also attracted criticism earlier this year when another investigation by Off The Pitch found that they seemingly had no staff nor active products.
It was also revealed that they were being run out of a mailbox in London.
But Maguire claims that City will have known about the risks involved with getting into bed with Wega before they signed off on the deal.
“I think clubs are willing to accept cheques from a variety of businesses,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“If the sponsor pays the fee upfront to associate their product with the club, that is something the club are going to consider.
“As far as City are concerned, they might have done the due dilligence as far as Wega are concerned.
“Wega themselves might have had some previously unsuccessful schemes but City could counteract those.
“It’s a bit like buying a lottery ticket. You only need one winner and Wega may have thought City are the winning card. That’s the nature of the gamble.”
In other news, Campbell issues emphatic Jack Grealish claim after Man City transfer update via Sky.