Arsenal-Adidas Agree $385 Million Five-Year Kit Deal, Report Says

Arsenal are set to end their current partnership with Puma after reportedly agreeing a five-year deal with German sports brand Adidas as their kit manufacturer from next season onward. The English Premier League club signed on with Puma on a 150 million pound (over $192 million) five-year deal in 2014 after ditching Nike, who had been ever-present for almost two decades.

Puma, also from Germany, impressed with their designs early on, but received scathing reviews from Arsenal supporters in recent seasons. Especially their home kit for the 2018-19 season was not appreciated at all by the fans.

Rumors about the Adidas-Arsenal deal have been doing the rounds since the start of 2018 and gathered pace after former Arsenal striker and club legend Ian Wright welcomed Adidas via a tweet in June this year while criticizing the 2018-19 home kit.

“So pleased Adidas are back sponsoring after this coming season. Especially after seeing what Puma have come up with,” he tweeted alongside a picture of him in one of the iconic Arsenal jerseys designed by Adidas in the late 80’s.

Arsenal’s deal with Puma will come to an end in 2019 and according to Leff Corey of John Wall Street, the Gunners have agreed a five-year deal worth $385 million with Adidas. It is double of what the club are currently earning through their endorsement with Puma.

The $77 million dollars that Arsenal will earn per season from the German sports apparel, shoes and accessories manufacturer will be the third highest in soccer. The Premier League club will only be behind Barcelona, who earn $134 million from Nike and Manchester United’s $96 million-a-year deal with Adidas.

Another report from The Sportsman claimed Nike were also strongly interested in returning as Arsenal’s kit manufacturer from next season but were outbid by their rivals.

The new deal is certain to boost Arsenal’s transfer budget from next season, with manager Unai Emery given limited funds to strengthen the team after taking over from Arsene Wenger this summer, who was at the helm for over two decades. Arsenal have been lagging behind in terms of commercial revenue compared to their rivals in the Premier League as Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool had all negotiated more lucrative kit manufacturer deals than the Gunners.

This deal with Adidas comes in the wake of Stan Kroenke becoming the 100 percent owner of Arsenal Football Club after snapping up Alisher Usmanov’s 30 percent stake in the club for around 550 million pounds. The Russian billionaire accepted the offer from Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE), which also owns multiple sports franchises in the United States — La Rams in the NFL, Denver Nuggets in the NBA and Colorado Avalanche in the NHL.