Chelsea have thrown away £150m bonanza, talks with Saudi company could be a ‘false dawn’

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Adam Williams has exclusively told TBR Football that Chelsea have thrown away £150million due to their decision not to have a front-of-shirt sponsor in the past three seasons.

The Blues have had a few short-term deals recently, with Infinite Athlete sponsoring part of the 2023/2024 campaign.

Meanwhile, property company Damac was featured on the shirt for a handful of games on the back end of last season.

However, the lack of a consistent front-of-shirt sponsor has been unusual, given the significant financial impact that it can have on a club.

Even though Chelsea have continued splashing the cash in the transfer market, the money that could have been made from shirt sponsorships is negatively impacting them.

Exclusive: Chelsea value a front-of-shirt sponsor at £60million-per-year

TBR Football’s finance expert, Adam Williams, explained how Chelsea’s lack of shirt sponsors on the front and the sleeve impacts the club financially and the possible sponsors that could come in the future.

There have been a lot of false dawns with Chelsea and front-of-shirt sponsorship. And let’s not forget, they don’t have a sleeve sponsor either.

Chelsea want £60m-a-year for front-of-shirt and they are probably asking for £15m-plus from a sleeve sponsor. So, by their own calculations, that’s £75m of revenue they have left on the table this season.

They could sign a mid-season deal, yes, but the value is rapidly diminishing. Often, these partnerships are as much about how you launch them as they are about ongoing exposure. If a front-of-shirt partner comes in under a cloud in, say, December, it’s going to be a much cheaper deal given the circumstances.

Given that they have not had a front-of-shirt partner for two years, that’s probably up to £150m of revenue missed in 2023-24, 2024-25, and now 2025-26. It’s a very confusing strategy. There’s no deal that they could do now to justify foregoing that kind of revenue. They are said to be in talks with a couple of airlines and a Saudi company. But again, there have been many false dawns.

They said that the Club World Cup would give them more leverage with sponsors and that was the reason they are waiting, but they could just have easily had a trigger in a contract that added £5-10m if they had won the Club World Cup.

For a team in their position under UEFA’s financial settlement, it’s baffling. They need all the help they can get. The only other possibility is that the FA charges have impacted negotiations, but I think that’s a long-shot.

They had a rejig in the commercial department recently, but the three changes that they have made are either sideways moves or internal promotions. There’s no fresh blood. I found that a little odd too on face value.

Chelsea are still plotting future transfers, regardless of financial speculation

Even though Chelsea haven’t got a front-of-shirt sponsor to bring in extra finances, and the issues the club have with UEFA’s financial restrictions, the Blues are still preparing to add to the squad.

TBR Football revealed that Chelsea have joined the hunt for Nico Paz, who has been attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are monitoring Morgan Rogers, as the Blues want to strengthen the squad’s options in the attacking midfield position.

Chelsea are also interested in Mike Maignan, who could resolve the goalkeeping issues that have been ongoing in recent years.