15 Jun 2026 15:32:29
Nice goodbye message from Cucarella.
It would appear he is leaving for family reasons and just shows that fans like me shouldn't jump to conclusions.
15 Jun 2026 17:35:59
That's fair enough, good luck to him. It's good that some of previous top players still care about the club, Drogba, Obi-Mikel, Hazard, Jimmy Floyd etc. Nice to see a photo of Eden at the Bridge wearing the new Chelsea shirt.
15 Jun 2026 18:44:50
Very classy from him, Tom, and he has my best wishes for himself and his family. Jimbo, I totally agree about those former players you mention, who, along with the likes of club legend JT, bleed blue.
15 Jun 2026 19:54:13
Greenaway, I have been critical of recent home kits, but I like the new shirt. It would look good with blue shorts with a white stripe on the side and white socks. Even better if we had a top FOS sponsorship deal at the start of the season.
15 Jun 2026 22:39:49
I like this home kit as well. I have bought the shirts (prefer it with no sponsor) for all the grandkids.
I wonder if the Oracle sponsor rumour is still a runner. Time will tell.
15 Jun 2026 22:17:11
I love the new kit Jimbo and prefer no sponsor on it. I have no interest in finances only trophies and limbs flying everywhere on the terraces when we win.
16 Jun 2026 07:48:28
Greenaway, given the lack of Champions League football and PSR, we definitely need a sponsor. No money; no trophies.
16 Jun 2026 07:59:20
A FOS sponsor would be a nice revenue stream, and our finances will definitely take a hit by the end of the next financial year.
This season is important for lots of reasons.
I'm not sure how true this is, but I was told we now receive more from other sponsors than the last complete season we had a FOS sponsor. Still, some icing on the cake would be nice.
16 Jun 2026 09:07:38
Tom, agree. The new season is extremely important for us in many ways. The ins and outs will give us some indication of how things might go. Fingers crossed.
16 Jun 2026 11:03:57
Tom, the lack of a FOS sponsor can't really be defended anymore.
'More from other sponsors' is irrelevant, as we could still have all of those and sorted out the kit sponsor, but hey ho, they're billionaire businessmen, so we must bow to their wisdom and skill.
16 Jun 2026 11:25:05
My guess is, they know more about business than most fans!
I could, historically, see some mathematical sense in delaying a FOS deal until we qualified for the CL. We not only managed to qualify for the CL, we became the first club to "win it all" when we lifted the CWC. For me, that was a green light to do a deal. We didn't, so it became impossible for me to work out the owners' logic.
Of course, we have had FOS sponsors for part of the last two seasons, but we almost certainly haven't received full value.
We also had one full season with a FOS sponsor, with what I would call an "in-house" solution.
Of course, other sponsors become "more" relevant when a club doesn't have a FOS sponsor, and I applaud the club for increasing revenue from other sponsors, but as I said, a FOS would be like the icing on the cake.
16 Jun 2026 11:58:46
We are forgetting they did have a deal with Paramount, which would have been great, but for the Premier League to say no.
Maybe now you can't have betting companies, we could have Paramount. ??
16 Jun 2026 12:17:11
Finchy, good point, I had forgotten about Paramount.
I'm sure there must be a reason, and it's probably just about valuations as it's impossible to believe it's deliberate.
16 Jun 2026 15:53:18
We didn't have a deal with Paramount because it breached the terms of the contract between the Premier League and the broadcasters - it was a non-starter. Nobody is suggesting that the failure to obtain sponsorship is deliberate - "there must be a reason" - yes, indeed, I wonder what it is. Let's see what happens at the start of the season.
16 Jun 2026 15:54:38
Could also just be plain incompetence, Tom... With what we've seen elsewhere at the club, it wouldn't be too surprising.
16 Jun 2026 16:23:31
I have been saying for ages now. I do not have a clue what the owners/commercial dept are doing, or, should I say, not doing.
I agree with Tom. We should have secured one from a position of strength when we won the CWC and qualified for the CL.
16 Jun 2026 18:00:54
Thanks to Cucurella. Up and down for him at Chelsea, but he will do very well at Madrid.
16 Jun 2026 19:53:07
I doubt it's incompetence. I was under the impression we did agree a deal with Paramount, but it got the thumbs down from the authorities, as a sort of conflict of interest.
I hope Cucurella does well at Madrid unless they play us.
16 Jun 2026 20:13:52
I wonder how many clubs will be without sponsors next season with the ban on betting companies coming into force? Finchy, that Paramount deal was an indication that the owners do know what they are doing, but the Premier League decided they didn't like it. Maybe a challenge should have been made?
16 Jun 2026 20:20:23
Tom, the Paramount "deal" was never mentioned by the club because it never had any legs; it had no chance of being approved. It wasn't a thumbs down because it was in breach of the rules.
If there was any doubt about it, no doubt we would have taken the matter further. I can't understand why people are suggesting that this was some sort of success by the commercial department.
16 Jun 2026 20:42:52
I'm not sure anyone is suggesting it was a success. It can't, because it didn't pass the regulators' scrutiny.
It's a long time ago, but I honestly thought it was the club who mentioned Paramount. Not that it matters, all water under the bridge.
I would love to know the shirt sales numbers with or without a Fos sponsor?
16 Jun 2026 21:47:36
Tom, the club didn't mention it: why would they? A deal that never got off the ground. Shirt sales won't make up for a lack of sponsorship.
16 Jun 2026 22:15:53
As I say, all water under the bridge, but I am confused, because I'm pretty sure the regulator said it was a no go. If that was the case, then someone presented it to them.
I would never suggest that the sale of shirts would compensate for not having a FOS sponsor. My question was just curiosity, do we sell more shirts without a FOS sponsor?
17 Jun 2026 09:33:12
tom. i'd avoid any sorta financial/sponsorship talk as you clearly don't have much understanding. focus on what's on the pitch fella
17 Jun 2026 11:35:13
Kaz, you are entitled to your view of me as a poster and fan. I certainly have a view on you and your posts. You very rarely fail to live up to that view.
17 Jun 2026 17:28:46
its not my view of you as a fan, its my view of you commenting on issues you don't have a clue about tbf
17 Jun 2026 18:34:00
Like most supporters on most topics, I am always only guessing.
I wouldn't have the arrogance to suggest others have more or less knowledge on any subject. I will leave that for others to decide and those who specialise in that arrogance.