Premier League giants Chelsea have announced a new five-year kit sponsorship with Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama in a deal worth £200m. The company’s logo will now be on Chelsea jersey at senior to youth level from next season.
The contract with Yokohama is worth over double what current sponsors Samsung pay, a fee in the region of £18m-a-season.
It also means Chelsea have move past English rivals Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the earnings table, with only Manchester United’s £53m-a-year deal with Chrevrolet ahead of them.
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said: “It is an absolute pleasure to welcome Yokohama as our new Official Shirt Partner and we look forward to a successful relationship with them.
“Chelsea and Yokohama are a perfect fit. Both are global organisations with a focus on performance and innovation, as well as having huge ambition and an unwavering culture of success.
“We believe that Yokohama will play a key role in helping us drive our global expansion in international markets such as the US, where they have operated with distinction for many years.
“Also, of course, Chelsea having such an esteemed and historic Japanese company as our partner enables us to accelerate our development in their home market too.
“We are also looking forward to working with Yokohama on our community projects around the world through the Chelsea Foundation, when together we can use the power of sport as a force for good.
Yokohama, who already sponsors NBA, teams the San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics.
Chairman of Yokohama, Tadanobu Nagumo added: “This shirt partnership with Chelsea will give Yokohama an opportunity to showcase our company to a huge worldwide audience thanks to Chelsea’s ever-growing popularity.
“We see our partnership with Chelsea as an integral part of our global expansion plans as we enter Phase IV of our Grand Design 100 plan. We look forward to launching our iconic new Chelsea Yokohama shirt this summer.”
