Tottenham Hotspur are being backed to take a unique approach to negotiating their shirt sponsorship and the naming rights of their stadium, combining the two in a jaw-dropping £500million (€567m / $659m) boost for the club.
It’s been a slighty mixed start to Thomas Frank’s reign in north London, with plenty of positives but also some glaring negatives – particularly when it comes to the club’s home form.
However, off the field there have been significant changes since Daniel Levy’s shock exit, with majority shareholders ENIC, who are owned by The Lewis Family, already investing a further £100m into the club ahead of the January transfer window.
Naming rights for the stadium are also a pressing matter, given that Tottenham moved into their new home way back in April 2019.
It’s been suggested over recent weeks that Levy’s exit may pave the way for Spurs to finally find a naming rights partner, with ENIC known to be looking for a lucrative long-term deal.
It was also announced last week that AIA will only remain Tottenham’s front-of-the-shirt sponsor until the end of the 2026/27 season, revealing that they will become the club’s Global Training Partner from July 2027 through to June 2032.
That change means Spurs will get significantly less revenue than their current £40m-a-year deal with AIA from 2027, leaving the club actively hunting for a new front-of-the-shirt sponsor.
And now TBR Football reports, through football finance expert Kieran Maguire, states that Tottenham could look to combine the naming rights of their stadium and the front-of-shirt sponsor under the same deal, which is why they amended their agreement with AIA in the first place.
Maguire said: “They could go down the same route as Man City, whereby they have naming rights and front-of-shirt under the same deal.
“By scaling back the AIA deal, they may be trying to size up another company for that kind of deal. I remember being in a meeting with someone from Spurs pre-COVID and they were very bullish that a deal was about to be finalised. I assume that Levy had the final say and, in the end, didn’t want it.
“It may be that AIA have said they aren’t interested at the quoted prices for a combined stadium and front-of-shirt deal, and this might clear the decks for a new sponsor that unites those two.”
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Tottenham in a hurry over stadium naming rights
Maguire also states that Tottenham are in a hurry to secure a naming rights partner, as the value of the stadium’s naming rights will only drop with each passing year.
He suggested that Spurs will be looking for a mega-money deal worth around £500m over 10 years for the naming rights of the stadium, alongside their shirt sponsorship.
Maguire added: “The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sounds too clunky. If they don’t strike relatively soon, the opportunity to strike a name that will actually stick in the public consciousness will evaporate.
“It will have to be a very long deal. Spurs are too big a club to go for a short-term deal.
“If they go for that, they’ll be looking for at least £50m per year, which is going to be £500m over 10 years.”
That sort of revenue could take the club to the next level when it comes to competing with the big boys, although it most also be pointed out that the club has a net debt of around £773m, which has increased from approximately £677m in 2023.
The club’s gross debt is higher at approximately £851m, mostly linked to the financing of its new stadium, with the majority at fixed rates to limit the impact of rising interest rates.
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