Chelsea Unveils Nostalgic '90s-Inspired Home Kit
The new 2023–24 Chelsea home shirt does not feature a front shirt sponsor.
Blues released photographs of current and former stars wearing their new uniforms for the upcoming season.
Mykhailo Mudryk, Reece James, and Roberto Di Matteo were on the team, as was Champions League-winning coach Dennis Wise.
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They were the first of the Big Six clubs to debut without a sponsor on the front of their shirts, according to an exclusive article in Mail Sport.
Chelsea announced the new shirt on Monday morning and cautioned fans that a sponsorship deal may be finalized before the season’s start.
According to a statement released by Chelsea, “Fans should be aware that the 2023/24 home kit that features on pitch may later feature a front-of-the-shirt partner.” Any updates to the uniform will be announced by the club at the appropriate time.
This is because the west London club has been unable to replace the revenue lost when its sponsorship arrangement with telecoms giant Three expired.
They were receiving £40 million per year in compensation under that contract, but recent sources have suggested that the club should settle for closer to £25 million per year under a new contract.
Paramount+ and betting company Stake were both mentioned as potential partners for the Blues’ shirt sponsor.
However, the Premier League was unable to reach an agreement with the former because of concerns that it would anger rights holders for the tier.
Streaming Premier League games on an overseas site is not allowed by the Deed of License, the agreement between clubs and the Premier League.
However, fans were strongly against the second option, with 77% saying they wouldn’t be happy with a betting corporation as a partner.
According to Mail Sport’s investigation, the Isle of Man company TGP powers Stake’s British website. TGP was previously controlled by Chinese tycoon Alvin Chau, who has ties to illegal Triad organizations.
After being found guilty of over a hundred counts related to organized crime and illicit gambling, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison earlier this year, and the chain of command within TGP is still unknown.
As of the 2025-26 season, the Premier League will no longer permit betting companies to be front-of-shirt sponsors.
The club’s finances are under increasing strain as a result of Todd Boehly’s massive spending on players over the previous year—roughly £600 million.
Therefore, a financially rewarding sponsorship contract would be really helpful.
Cesar Azpilicueta and N’Golo Kante were among the players that left for no compensation, while the club also sold Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic, and Mason Mount.
The shirt’s design is based on the retro 90s styles that are ubiquitous among Premier League’s top clubs.
Rivals Last season, both Arsenal and Manchester United produced widely acclaimed uniforms that drew heavily from the decade.
The club says their new uniform is a tribute to the 1997–1998 season, when they won the League Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, with the golden Lion insignia standing for “prestige and history.”
