Why Chelsea STILL don't have a front-of-shirt sponsor despite ongoing talks with 'multiple parties'

Chelsea enjoyed a shirt sponsorship deal with Three from 2020 to 2023, with the contract worth a reported £40 million (€46m/$50m) a year to the west London side. However, a difficult year saw that partnership come to an end as Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club. This came about after Russia invaded Ukraine as the United Kingdom government sanctioned Abramovich, freezing his assets and forcing him to exit the club amid political pressure.

After that, potential sponsors became wary of a possible reputational risk during the transition from Abramovich to new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. Chelsea have decided not to rush into a new long-term shirt sponsorship deal, instead taking their time to ensure a partnership can be struck with a company that shares its commercial strategy. However, that decision has come at the cost of Chelsea's players wearing visibly blank shirts in recent years.

Chelsea have resorted to deals to plug the gap with short-term cash injections. Infinite Athlete, an American sports data technology corporation, stepped in for the 2023-24 season, while a separate partnership with DAMAC Properties was also announced for selected fixtures and promotional activities.

These deals did at least prevent Chelsea from leaving money on the table and showed that interest in the club remains strong, but that hasn't stopped people questioning why a long-term deal has not yet been struck.

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According to The Athletic, Chelsea remain in talks with 'multiple parties' and they are expected to have a new deal in place before the end of the season. An agreement was allegedly nearly reached with one company a few months ago but that deal broke down when complications arose, though the two parties remain in negotiations.

The same report claims the Blues have been mulling over two options, one being whether they agree to a proposal for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, and the other being a traditional long-term agreement. They are waiting for the right conditions to be met and officials at the club are thought to be relatively relaxed about the situation, which they consider 'only one part of their wider commercial strategy'.

The lack of a long-term front shirt sponsor was undeniably a factor in Chelsea placing behind a number of their Premier League rivals in the recently released Deloitte Football Money League.

The Blues are ranked as the tenth-highest revenue-generating men's football club around the world. Their commercial haul of £200.8 million (€241m/$255) is behind the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, while they have also struggled on matchdays compared to their Premier League peers.

Leading the way at the top of the money league are Real Madrid, who brought in a total of £975.2m across matchday, broadcast and commercial revenues, retaining their position of first place from last year. Barcelona sit second, with Bayern Munich, PSG and Liverpool making up the rest of the top five.

When it comes to on-field matters, Chelsea are firmly in the mix to qualify for the Champions League despite sacking Enzo Maresca earlier in January. Liam Rosenior has since taken over and will be hoping his side can produce another strong performance in their London derby with Crystal Palace on Sunday. After that fixture, they take on Napoli away from home in their final league phase game in the Champions League.