Chelsea are planning to reveal their new home kit for the 2023/24 season on Monday, but it will not feature a sponsor.
The Blues’ new threads will be unveiled with a stripped-back look after a backlash over their deal with betting firm Stake, and fans have a theory about a possible replacement.
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The Premier League giants are without a front of shirt sponsorship deal for the new campaign after two failed deals with potential partners to replace mobile company Three, who gave the Blues £40million-a-year for the last three seasons.
Chelsea were expected to sign a deal to have the Paramount+ logo on their shirts – after they stepped in to sponsor Inter Milan for last season’s Champions League final – only for the Premier League to block it.
Blues bosses were reportedly left stunned as league bosses stopped the deal – said to be worth a ‘significant sum’ to Chelsea – from going through due to a possible conflict with streaming rights holders.
The west London club then held talks with gambling company Stake, who have previously sponsored Watford and Everton, but then abandoned those negotiations after a backlash from supporters over partnering with a bookmaker.
Talks with other possible sponsors are said to be ongoing, but the club have refused to put off their new kit launch due to the issue, and so it will go ahead as planned on Monday without a sponsor on the front.
That will be welcomed by some fans who would likely prefer the more unadorned look – but it’s unlikely the plain shirt will be available for fans to buy.
Chelsea have been teasing their new Nike kit, and some supporters have a theory about who their next sponsor could be.
Chelsea posted imagery of a Game Boy on social media, prompting some to speculate the shirt could feature the logo of video game giants Nintendo.
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It wouldn’t be the Japanese company’s first foray into football, having famously sponsored Fiorentina between 1997 and 1999 – a kit highly coveted by football shirt enthusiasts.
However, it appears Chelsea were merely teasing the 90s theme of the upcoming design, having also posted a video featuring a Sony PlayStation.
