Chelsea recently finalised a partnership with IFS to be their main front-of-shirt sponsor after a prolonged period without one. They are an industrial AI company, and the Blues took to the field with their name on the jersey against Burnley at the weekend.
After winning the Club World Cup, Chelsea were reported to have been holding out for high-value deals. But once again, they have failed to land one.
As a result, fans were hopeful that the new agreement with IFS would be a long-term deal. However, recent reports have emerged suggesting otherwise. In fact, it appears to be only a temporary solution and is confirmed to remain front-of-shirt sponsors until the end of the season. The overall agreement is believed to be until 2028.
Things might be about to get tougher for the Blues, when it comes to landing a sponsor in the future. That is according to Matt Law, who spoke on the London Is Blue podcast (via Chelsea.news). The journalist said: “It’s going to get ever harder now.
“It’s going to become more crowded because I think I’m right that this is the last year of betting sponsors.
“So you have an influx of clubs, including (Aston) Villa, Newcastle (United), Everton, who’ve all got betting sponsors, and now they come into the market to find non-betting sponsors for the front of shirts.
“And the market shrinks because there are only so many non-betting companies that can afford to or are interested.”
Matt Law reveals worrying news regarding Chelsea’s next sponsorship deal
It is no secret that sponsors have been an important aspect of financial management in football over the years. They provide extra income and incentives for the club. So Chelsea will have to rethink their whole approach regarding this situation. They must sign a long-term deal as soon as possible.
Notably, the Blues were the only club in the Premier League this season that were without a front-of-shirt sponsor before the IFS deal. If Chelsea do not sort things out soon, they might find themselves back to square one.
In fact, they have never had a long-term front-of-shirt sponsor since BlueCo arrived. The expectation had been that Chelsea would thrive on the commercial side of things under American ownership. Reality has proven very different.
Every season, it is the same story. There are reports of a lucrative long-term deal being close, only for the club to end up with a short-term one.
Even if Chelsea land a world-record deal at this point, which is highly unlikely, they are not going to make up for the money that has been lost over the past three seasons.
Having all said, Chelsea certainly have a lot on their plate at the moment. While the board takes care of the sponsorship issue, the players will have to focus on the field. Their last performance against Burnley was disappointing, to be honest. The Blues face league leaders Arsenal next in the London derby. And they will need to lift their game if they wish to win any trophies this season.
