‘Tottenham are perfect, Aston Villa are no match for naming rights deal’ – Stefan Borson
Aston Villa could face a blow in their bid to sell their stadium naming rights following Tottenham’s failure to agree a deal.
The West Midlands giants are looking to boost their revenue, which increased from £217.7million in 2022-23 to a club-record £275.7million in 2023-24.
The Athletic reported on 14 July Villa have been looking to agree a stadium naming rights deal for Villa Park since early 2024.
Finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider it will not be easy for Villa to land a stadium sponsorship deal.
Tottenham have been trying to land a lucrative agreement for their 62,850-capacity facility since it opened in 2019 but have so far been unsuccessful.
Elsewhere, Everton have agreed a deal worth around £6million a year for Liverpool-based law firm Hill Dickinson to become the first naming rights sponsor at their new stadium.
Aston Villa must be ‘careful’ agreeing naming rights deal
Borson insisted a stadium naming rights deal will not move the dial for Villa.
He told Football Insider: “They need more revenue from parties that are not connected to the club.
“Selling the Villa Park naming rights to let’s say one of their owners would work for the Premier League rules, as long as it was fair market value.
“But even if it’s fair market value, it will not necessarily work for Uefa rules. So, they just have to be careful about whether these things are going to work for Uefa purposes.
“Then of course, it’s not easy to get a naming rights partner because we know that from the Spurs situation. Spurs have been looking and have got the best possible proposition for a naming rights.
“They have got London and a multifunction brand new, beautiful stadium. It’s perfect for a brand. Villa Park in Birmingham is a very historic stadium, but it just doesn’t have the same impact.
“Almost nobody has done it. You had Sports Direct briefly sponsor St James’ Park, but that wasn’t worth very much money. That was in the low single millions.
“You have got Everton, who’ve got a brand-new stadium in a city that is not as big as Birmingham, but is close to, and they’ve ended up with a law firm sponsoring it, probably paying £5-6million a year.
“So, this is not a big proposition compared to what the stadium at Tottenham might be worth on the naming rights.
“Either way, they’re looking for a naming rights sponsor, but it’s not going to move the dial.”
Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa update emerges
In terms of transfer activity, Football Insider revealed on 20 July Villa are ready to reunite Unai Emery with Nicolas Jackson after the pair previously worked together at Villarreal.
Villa have held preliminary talks with Chelsea over Jackson as they look to bolster their attacking options this summer.
The 24-year-old registered 13 goals and six assists in 37 appearances last season.
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