Just days after the launch of their latest 2016/17 home kit, Chelsea and Adidas have announced that they are terminating their kit deal six years early.
The latest kit was released to muted response with fans criticising the design on forums. Reaction to the kit was exacerbated with a £90 price tag on the complete kits described by some supporters as little better than pyjamas. Reaction to leaked designs of the away kit has been as unfavourable.
The timing is though coincidental as Chelsea are reportedly unhappy with the attention that the German manufacturer gives to Europe’s elite clubs.
Increased Kit Revenues
The club will want to recoup their £40m severance payment made to Adidas in their new manufacturers and are likely to be looking for deal worth £50m in compensation. Nike would seem to be the natural fit but are in talks with Tottenham Hotspur about replacing existing kit manufacturer, Under Armour.
With Arsenal’s kits manufactured by Puma, whose leaked 2016/17 home shirt is below, is there room in their portfolio for another headline club? The terms of the deal with the north London club are rumoured to include clauses which allow for an increase in the deal if the kitmaker takes on a rival club as a client.
Elite Clubs
For Adidas, it reduces their presence in the English Premier League. With Southampton and Swansea moving on, Sunderland’s survival means that they will have just four clubs tied in to deals. However, their strong presence with international teams and the top European clubs such as Bayern Madrid and Real Madrid hint at a strategy which focuses on quality rather than quantity.
Having manufactured the kits of four of the last five winners of the Champions League, as well as current world champions, Germany, it’s hard to argue with their thinking.
