Arsenal’s spending power will be further strengthened next year after the club agreed a major kit deal with German manufacturer Adidas.
The five-year agreement, which begins on July 1, is understood to be worth around £50 million each season, a major increase from Arsenal’s current £30m-a-year deal with Puma.
OFFICIAL: Arsenal will begin their new partnership with Adidas next season. pic.twitter.com/uPlPHeArRr
— TheAFCnewsroom (@TheAFCnewsroom) October 8, 2018
The agreement with Adidas represents Arsenal’s third off-field boost of the year at a time when the club’s spiralling wage bill is putting increasing pressure on finances.
In February, the club agreed a new shirt sponsorship deal with Emirates that will be worth more than £200m until 2024. And a few months later, in May, Arsenal partnered with Rwanda’s Development Board in a £10m-a-year deal that made ‘Visit Rwanda’ the club’s first ever sleeve sponsor.
Arsenal have been looking to close the commercial gap with Europe’s leading clubs as they try to fund a series of big-money contracts, such as those given to Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan earlier this year.
It is believed Arsenal’s decision to withdraw a contract offer to Aaron Ramsey was in part a result of the club’s spending limitations. The Daily Telegraph revealed in August that Unai Emery, the head coach, is facing significant restrictions in the January transfer window as a result of club’s wage bill climbing to record levels.
Arsenal’s current kit deal with Puma, worth £150m over the last five years, was the largest in British football history when it was announced in January 2014. But Arsenal have since been usurped by Manchester United’s £75m-per-season agreement with Adidas and Chelsea’s £60m-per-season deal with Nike.
Arsenal have 26 official partners, and managing director Vinai Venkatesham claimed earlier this year that the club’s shirt is seen 35 million times a day around the world.
Meanwhile, striker Alexandre Lacazette has said it is too early to talk of the club returning to the top four of the Premier League despite Emery’s side recording a ninth consecutive victory on Sunday.
Lacazette, who scored twice in the 5-1 thrashing of Fulham, said: “To talk about the top four is early I think. We have to keep quiet and work like we did before and the season is going well. Just work as we did and we will see at the end of the season. The team spirit is good, of course when you win it is better. We will enjoy it, we are working well and we want to continue like this.”
Lacazette added that Aubameyang, who also scored twice, has become “like a brother” to him since his arrival in north London. “We talk every day and we like working together,” Lacazette said.