Chelsea Football Club has descended into utter chaos since the United Kingdom’s government decided to impose sanctions on owner Roman Abramovich early Thursday morning. There are now questions being asked left and right about what the club can and cannot do during this period, and the long-term stability of the Blues remains in the balance. This is an unprecedented event in English football. The club, its staff and its fans are seemingly being punished for something they simply had no part in. That topic has been written about ad nauseam though, so we’re going to take a different approach in this piece.
These next few days are going to reveal a lot about those associated with the club. Everyone from fans (the faux ones, of course, the real supporters will remain faithful regardless) to the sponsors are beginning to question whether or not to jump ship amidst the punishment handed down to Abramovich this week. Chelsea’s shirt sponsor, Three UK, has already suspended its partnership with the club indefinitely, while Hyundai (sleeve sponsor) is weighing its options. As these uncertainties continue to trickle in, it’s worth asking, which company will be the next to stamp its logo front and center on the Blues’ current and future kits?
Can Trivago take over as Chelsea’s main shirt sponsor in the near future?
If it were up to manager Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea would be wearing a symbol of peace in the coming matches following Three’s suspended sponsorship. That remains a possibility as clubs have shown their support for Ukraine with gestures recently. Most notable amongst them is Wolfsburg, who displayed the peace logo on its kit and tweaked the center circle to look similar. Nevertheless, we’re talking about the title shirt sponsor of the club once all of the dust settles.
It would be quite surprising to see Three welcomed back by the Blues’ hierarchy in the grand scheme of things. While the mobile provider has been a fantastic sponsor until this point, these actions are remembered by the fans. Anybody who has taken a basic ‘Intro to Public Relations’ course will know that Three is absolutely doing the right thing right now, distancing itself from the negative press associated with Chelsea at the moment. Alas, supporters don’t think rationally. You’re either with them or against them and in the eyes of some fans, Three is now an enemy.
It goes without saying the situation is infinitely more complex than any person not associated with the discussions can comprehend. We can only infer what’s going to happen as we haven’t been flies on the wall witnessing these conversations take place. However, if there were odds on Three not being welcomed back as the Blues’ sponsor, I’d take them every day and twice on Sunday.
This is especially true considering a number of Chelsea’s partners have stayed the course during this difficult period. It was announced on Friday afternoon that both Nike and Trivago would remain committed to their deals with the club, despite the UK’s sanctions on Abramovich. There is no sponsorship handbook to turn to in times like these, so we just have to look at it from an outside perspective. When the new owners come in and a decision ultimately needs to be made about the club’s title sponsor, should Three not return for one reason or another, Trivago could step in to replace the telecommunications company.
Trivago became the Blues’ training wear sponsor last May after the club’s deal with Carabao expired. Fans have loved the gear coming out of Nike’s design studios thus far. Perhaps the only gripe—until now, that is—about Three’s partnership with Chelsea has been the awkward-looking logo on the front of the top. Calling it divisive would be an understatement as many fans simply loathe the look of it. They have longed for the days where companies like Samsung and Yokohama spread their name across the front, creating a minimalistic look on the kits. Trivago provides just that, as we’ve seen on all of the training and pre-match sportswear.
It’d also be much easier to make the transition over to kit sponsor given the existing relationship between the Blues and the travel company. Unfortunately, this author’s knowledge falls more on the design side of football deals, rather than financials. Therefore, I cannot comment on the ability of Trivago to match or exceed Three’s current sponsorship deal. Given Trivago’s reach across the globe, one would imagine it could fork over some funds, but again, I’m no expert.
The German-based company will definitely earn some brownie points for remaining loyal to the Blues during this rough patch. The future of the club looks ominous as it stands, so it seems silly to put too much stock into something like shirt sponsors right this second, but it has been a topic of discussion as the most important sponsorship spot on the front of the shirt is vacated. After all, this speculative story could mean nothing in a few days’ time, should Three stay on.
What do you make of the sponsorship situation? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!