CHELSEA have finally agreed a new shirt sponsor deal for the upcoming season with their Premier League opener against Liverpool just days away.
According to The Daily Mail, the West London club have agreed a £40million-a-year deal with US technology company Infinite Athlete which will see their shirts emblazoned with the tech company’s logo.
Infinite Athlete was founded last month after being acquired by Tempus ex Machina, who also signed a deal with Chelsea in April.
The company is an AI statistics provider, and works with broadcasters and streaming services with live information on player statistics and injuries.
Chelsea have used Tempus Ex Machina’s technology on their broadcasts since April, with the service allowing viewers to track things like live updates on player fatigue and injuries.
The £40m-a-year deal matches that of previous front of shirt sponsor 3, who sponsored the club for three campaigns beginning in the 2020-21 season.
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The deal expired this summer, with both sides failing to come to an agreement on a renewal.
Chelsea’s new sponsorship comes after their protracted search for a sponsor saw the club forced to unveil a sponsorless version of their 2023-24 home shirt ahead of the upcoming season.
Ahead of the kit’s launch, the club had seen talks with gambling company Stake and streaming platform Paramount+ fall through.
That meant that while the shirt was unveiled early last month, the shirt has been unavailable for fans to buy.
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The shirt is set to be released for fans to buy on August 16 and will feature the name and logo of Infinite Athlete so long as the sponsorship is approved by the Premier League.
Chelsea fans have become accustomed to seeing the sponsorless version of their new shirt, with Chelsea wearing the stripped-back version of the kit throughout their pre-season tour of the US.
But according to The Daily Mail, Chelsea’s shirts will include their new sponsor in their Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday as long as the deal is rubber stamped by the Prem.
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The news will represent a much needed boost for Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, who risked the embarrassment of seeing his club become the first top six side to enter a Premier League campaign without a sponsor.
The additional investment will also be welcome given Chelsea are facing a massive fine and possible points deduction after a Premier League investigation into the club found financial irregularities dating back to the Roman Abramovich era.
The investigation found that the club had made possible illegal payments to offshore companies that were not registered with the Premier League, the FA or Uefa.
Chelsea will have to kick off the Premier League season on Sunday without new-signing Christopher Nkunku after the forward sustained a knee injury in the club’s final pre-season friendly.
The Frenchman looked set to play a massive part in the club’s new Mauricio Pochettino-era after impressing in pre-season but is set to miss the first three months of the campaign.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
