Tottenham Hotspur have been backed to take a unique approach to negotiating their shirt sponsorship and the naming rights of their stadium.
Spurs moved into their new billion-pound stadium back in April of 2019, but the club still have not found a naming rights partner for the venue.
It has been suggested over recent weeks that Daniel Levy’s exit may pave the way for Spurs to finally find a naming rights partner, with the Lilywhites thought to be looking for a lucrative long-term deal.
Last week, Tottenham announced that AIA will only remain their 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.
Tottenham are looking to negotiate shirt sponsor and naming rights together
TBR Football point out that this means that Tottenham will get significantly less revenue than their current £40m-a-year deal with AIA from 2027, and the club will have to find a new front-of-the-shirt sponsor.
The outlet spoke to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, who claimed that Spurs will want to sell 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.
Maguire told TBR about Tottenham Hotspur’s latest move: “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.”
Spurs will be eyeing a £500m deal
Maguire believes that the North London club are in a hurry to secure a naming rights partner, as the value of the stadium’s naming rights will come down with each passing year.
He suggested that Tottenham will be looking for a mega-money deal worth around £500m over 10 years for the naming rights of the stadium and 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.”
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