Chelsea confirmed on Thursday morning that phone company Three will continue as the club's shirt sponsor for the 2022/23 season and will resume "marketing activities" with immediate effect.
Three was returned to the list of sponsors at the bottom of Chelsea's website, absent since the communications company decided to suspend their partnership with Chelsea on the day Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government back in March.
In the months since, there has been speculation over whether the deal would resume even after the takeover, with Three's contract with Chelsea only lasting till 2023 and the belief that new ownership under Todd Boehly would aim to agree their own deals, leaving the past behind.
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But given the reality of how much time is needed to negotiate a new major sponsorship deal at the best of times, sticking with Three became the clear solution. With the reference to "marketing activities" the most obvious could be as early as Monday with the release of next season's kit.
Footy Headlines have been told that Chelsea's 2022/23 home kit will be released on June 20 after it was initially scheduled to happen in May. Most fans would have already caught a glimpse of Nike's latest offering over the last six months. As is the case now with all major kits, there are very few surprises come release day and many have already made their mind up over the kit's quality.
This year is no different and Chelsea supporters have been split over Nike's approach to designing the club's shirts since 2017. Some are highly critical, dismissing all the kits as being from underwhelming to poor, whilst others have championed several more unique designs, particularly in reference to the two away kits launched each year.
Compared to last year's version, this summer's release certainly goes back to a more minimalist approach, swapping the blend of checkered flag and zig-zags to a plain royal blue template. The white-collar has gained criticism for its "light blue turquoise lion pattern" as described by Footy Headlines, which confuses a pretty classic approach.
The frustration over modern kits amongst fans is not new and not entirely widespread. However, the almost template-like feel from Nike since they replaced Adidas five years ago has struggled to create memorable additions that last in the memory.
Boehly has already expressed interesting ways he will approach owning Chelsea, with the potential of new sponsors in the coming years, a rethink over the kit manufacturer, particularly over what the club are earning compared to its rivals will certainly be assessed.
Should the kit be launched on Monday, fans will be able to purchase it in the club's megastore that reopened on June 1 after the sanctions were lifted.
