‘Man United have £30m+ black hole as two deals cancelled’
Man United have been hit by a flurry of off-pitch blows following their disastrous campaign under Ruben Amorim last season.
Marriott International – the world’s largest hotel company – agreed a multi-year, multi-million-pound sponsorship deal with United in 2019.
SportBusiness reported on 12 June the American firm has now decided not to extend the sponsorship deal after it expired at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
Meanwhile, United’s £24million-per-year training kit sponsorship deal with Tezos is ending this month.
The end of the two deals comes after a dismal 2024-25 campaign which saw Man United finish 15th in the Premier League and lose in the Europa League final.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – has claimed United will struggle to replace those lucrative deals after problems on and off the pitch at Old Trafford.
‘Man United face erosion of interest from sponsors’, says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness suggested commercial partners will not want the “headache” of being involved at Man United.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have caused controversy with several moves since taking control of footballing matters following their minority takeover.
Wyness insisted United will face an “erosion of interest” from sponsors in the coming years if they cannot become a force in English football once again.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “They’re the hotel partner and my own estimate would be somewhere around £10million, which is a big number.
“But more than anything else, it’s the sign of a big brand pulling out and that’s not good.
“The training gear sponsor Tezos, their deal’s up right now.
“All these things start to erode away and then bigger brands start looking at that and rather than being keen to get involved they say: ‘Well, why did they pull out?’
“They’re asking these sort of questions and the sales people are having a harder time trying to get people over the line. So it’s more about that sort of erosion of interest from sponsors.
“That’s the big issue to me rather than just the money, but it’s going to become a big money issue very soon. So you’d hope that there’d be a line of hotel companies around the block trying to get Man United sponsorship, but I think they’re going to struggle.
“If the training kit was about £20million, the hotels are £10million – suddenly you start to see some big numbers that need to be replaced.
“In an environment when we all know Man United have not covered themselves in glory with all sorts of reasons, all these things leave a sponsor wondering – do I really need the headache of being involved with Man United? Do the numbers really justify it?
“Or do I go with a young up-and-coming club that is more interesting, more exciting, have got better relationships with their fans, with the media?”
Man United insider shares Mbeumo update
Meanwhile, Man United are reportedly pushing hard to sign Bryan Mbeumo and are continuing talks with Brentford “behind closed doors” after submitting a new bid.
That is according to former scout Mick Brown, who worked at Old Trafford for over a decade during the club’s most successful period and remains very well-connected there.
United have submitted a new offer of £60million including add-ons that has been rejected, but the club have not been deterred and are pressing forward in talks.
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