Take this with a grain of salt, but according to a new report from Ben Jacobs, Tottenham Hotspur are currently in “advanced negotiations” for a stadium naming rights deal for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Talks are taking place with two companies from Saudi Arabia, one affiliated with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund (PIF) and one not, and there are American companies also in the frame.
Tottenham have not had a sponsor for the stadium since the building opened in 2018, which has struck many as unusual. Chairman Daniel Levy has always maintained that he has been holding out for a spectacular price and would not compromise on the naming rights’ valuation. In the meantime, naming the best and newest stadium in London the “Tottenham Hotspur Stadium” has no doubt been a boon to the club’s overall recognition in the UK and the world.
It’s important to note the “nothing is advanced” part of this tweet, because I can recall a number of these kinds of reports in the past. That said, Tottenham’s spending spree in the transfer market this week has prompted a lot of speculation that Spurs are either closing in on, or has already secured, additional external financial backing, with the stadium rights deal part of that process. Nothing as of yet has been confirmed or even solidly sourced.
I’ll be honest, the idea of the stadium securing naming rights with a Saudi company, whether or not they’re backed by the PIF, makes me rather queasy. That said, I know the game. Business is business, and there was always a very high probability that the stadium would eventually sport the name of a very gross company or entity. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.
For now I’m not going to get pre-upset about this, both for the above reasons and because it doesn’t feel based on this tweet that anything will be announced soon. But that day has been coming for a long time now, and we should be prepared for it if and when it does.