Chelsea’s DAMAC shirt sponsor. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Chelsea’s £70m a year disadvantage will cost them claims finance expert

Originally posted on Chelsea News | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Chelsea’s new ownership haven’t convinced everyone with their player trading model.

And even when Chelsea have been doing well on the pitch, there’s still a major frustration from some fans which they believe sums up some problems on the business side of the ownership: the lack of a shirt sponsor.

The Blues had their old deal with Three for the first few months of the ownership, but all they’ve had since were short term deals with Infinite Athlete and Damac since then.

Are they playing a smart waiting game, or have they sunk cost fallacied themselves out of many tens of millions of pounds? Kieran Maguire’s piece today explains a little more.

Chelsea waiting for bids to reach their asking price

“Like many other disputes in football, it all comes down to price and perception of value,” he writes in quotes picked up by the Chelsea Chronicle.

“The price that Chelsea have been quoting to sponsors has been one where that everybody else has walked out the door. It’s a bit like Spurs and the naming rights for White Hart Lane as it is known amongst football fans or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as it is known to the media.

“It’s a case of just getting that deal to get both parties. Chelsea fervently believe that having… become the world champions in 2025 that the value of the club is significantly higher than what would appear to be the case from a from an advertiser’s perspective.”

Sponsor gamble fails as Blues left sponsorless

Maguire also noted that while some fans enjoy not having a sponsor, it will eventually cause problems. He notes that Man U are getting £70m a year from their Snapdragon deal.

Chelsea are Club World Cup champions – they should be getting a big chunk like that every year. In hindsight, even a short term deal for these last 3 years would have been a smart idea. In holding out for more money, they’ve probably cost themselves.

This article first appeared on Chelsea News and was syndicated with permission.

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