The most expensive shirt in England: Arsenal's new giant deal revealed
The first championship in 22 years has paid off for the Gunners, who will extend their sponsorship contract with Emirates for amounts that will break Premier League records. How does this compare to the top rivals?
Last week, Sam Wallace of The Daily Telegraph reported that Arsenal has extended its main sponsorship agreement with the Dubai-based airline, Emirates. According to the report, the new deal will "significantly" increase the existing one, which is estimated at approximately £50 million per year.
The current agreement is in effect until 2028, and the championship title won by Arsenal — the first in 22 years — "made the offer much more attractive," according to The Telegraph. The Emirates company has been associated with the club since 2006, when the stadium, which also bears its name by virtue of the main sponsorship agreement, was inaugurated. At the same time, Gary Jacob of The Times estimated that the new deal would stand at a minimum of £70 million per year for the stadium naming rights and advertising on the front of the shirt, while bonuses — which will be given mainly for professional successes — could increase the payment up to 85 million.
The new agreement will make Arsenal the holder of the largest shirt sponsorship in the Premier League. For comparison, Manchester United, which has a sponsorship agreement with the company Snapdragon, earns about £60 million per year. Liverpool, which is signed with the bank Standard Chartered, receives between 50 and 61 million (depending on bonuses). Manchester City receives — at least on paper — about 65 million from Etihad, and Tottenham records about 40 million from the insurance company AIA. Chelsea earns an amount ranging from 33.6 to 40 million pounds from Infinite Athlete.
All other agreements in the league bring the teams less than £25 million per year. Newcastle receives about £25 million from the company Sela (but is expected to replace it with KNOX Hydration, which will pay about 26 million according to reports). Aston Villa will receive about 17 million from Rwanda, and Everton will earn about 15 million from CMC Markets.
By the way, the largest sponsorship agreements are usually those concerning team apparel. United, for example, receives £90 million per year from Adidas; City earns about 75 million from Puma (with the possibility of growing to 100 million); and Adidas pays a similar amount of about 75 million per year to Arsenal and Liverpool as well. All of these represent larger contracts than the main shirt sponsorship agreements.
These amounts are very significant in light of the new regulation in the Premier League, which closely links the ability to invest in the purchase of players and their salaries to the natural revenues of each club.
