Why Chelsea don't have a shirt sponsor for Premier League clash vs Man City

Chelsea don't have a shirt sponsor during their opening Premier League match of the season against Manchester City - but what is the reason behind it?

The Blues officially begin life under Enzo Maresca today at Stamford Bridge - with the Italian already having had the nightmare task of deciding which 20 of his 43 first team players make the matchday squad.

Off the pitch, Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly has had to juggle sanctioning incoming deals with offloading squad players, but with little success so far.

The club are also yet to secure a front-of-shirt sponsorship for the new season - mirroring the predicament they found themselves in at the start of last season.

According to The Athletic, anonymous sources close to the matter have claimed that Infinite Athlete, who signed a last-minute deal to feature on Chelsea's shirts last season - will not be the sponsor during this campaign.

It had earlier been reported that the Blues were seeking a package deal of around £60 million that would see their men's and women's team's shirts sponsored by the same company.

But Sonia Bompastor's side, who are the reigning Women's Super League champions, will be sponsored by the telecommunications company Three this season.

Three are the Official Telecommunications Partner for the women's team, meaning their branding will feature on the shirts and training kit in all competitions.

And while Chelsea's women's team are currently the leading side in English football, as well as a regularly competitive force in Europe, the same can't be said for the men's side at present.

Getty

The Athletic claim that the Blues hierarchy are hesitant to commit to a long-term sponsorship deal due to concerns that it would be agreed at a lower rate than it would if they had qualified for the Champions League.

Chelsea missed out on Champions League football last season, but did reach the Europa League after a strong end to the campaign.

However, the hierarchy decided to part company with manager Mauricio Pochettino, leaving Maresca with a major task on his hands to achieve the objective of reaching the top four - or top five, given UEFA's new co-efficient system for Champions League qualification - while trusting those above to cut down a 43-man squad.

It is claimed that an announcement will be made over a new sponsor soon, with the winning party expected to pay around £40 million to feature on shirts for the men's team this season.