The American sportswear giants Nike are a major player when it comes to football jerseys. They are currently sponsoring Premier league Giants Manchester United, Arsenal, Spanish heavyweights Barcelona and several other top teams across Europe.
However, Nike are currently at the center of a huge argument between both Manchester clubs over a sponsorship clash. Back in October last year, it was reported by the Mail as United were seeking a new sponsorship deal with Nike for a whooping £1bn.
Manchester United officials were furious when Nike and Manchester City decided to switch City’s kit deal from Umbro (owned by Nike) to Nike themselves. Rival clubs normally avoid having the same shirt sponsors and manufacturers to avoid marketing clashes and to separate themselves completely.
Manchester United are now demanding dramatically improved terms on their next kit deal with Nike, or threatening to move to another kit manufacturer (probably Adidas), who would be prepared to spend big money on signing one of the world’s most valuable brands. It is expected that United will therefore sign a huge new deal with Nike to make up for this, or leave for another brand.
How does this affect Arsenal?
Arsenal, currently have an existing kit deal with Nike, but are looking for their next deal to be much more lucrative. Nike have the option to match any offer from elsewhere, but their ability to do this is likely to be affected by the size of commitment they are forced to make to Manchester United. Adidas have made Arsenal a very lucrative offer, and Arsenal are now waiting to see what Nike’s next move is. If United do leave Nike, Arsenal could actually benefit, as Nike will not want to see their two flagship English clubs both leave.
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