Chelsea primed for lucrative sponsorship deal after Man City case against the Premier League
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Ben Palmer
Thu 18 September 2025 19:00, UK
Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Newcastle stand to be the main beneficiaries of Man City’s settled case against the Premier League.
That is according to football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider exclusively that those three clubs now have the scope to agree boosted sponsorship deals.
Man City have been battling with the Premier League over the past year over associated party transactions (APT) that relate to some of their sponsorship agreements.
The Sky Blues brought legal action against the league after deals with Etihad Airways and First Abu Dhabi Bank were blocked.
Those agreements were deemed to be above fair market value (FMV), but following a legal battle, Man City and the Premier League settled the case, and there is now scope for the Citizens to revisit those previously blocked sponsorship deals, which could have a knock-on effect for the other 19 clubs in England’s top-flight.
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Speaking to Football Insider exclusively, Plumley explained that clubs with free-spending owners could look to strike deals that previously may have been barred, thereby increasing their revenue.
However, the finance expert warned that whilst the case between Man City and the Premier League had been settled, the league would still be keeping a tight leash on any sponsorship deals.
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Chelsea have been without a front-of-shirt sponsor for several seasons now, but the new ruling could open the door for the Blues to agree a lucrative deal.
Plumley said: “We’re looking at Chelsea, Newcastle, and Villa, who would be the three that would spring to mind [who will benefit the most].
“Newcastle and Villa, of course, have been very vocal about this in the past as well.
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“I think that those three clubs, as examples, would still have to work within UEFA’s parameters, so there’s still a degree of caution that we would put to that.
“It does allow them scope to push things a little bit higher, but the Premier League are not going to allow what you would term as silly numbers.
“There is going to be a degree of, we appreciate what’s happened with these regulations, but we still have to monitor something at a fair market value rate.
“You would expect to see inflation, for sure, and expect those deals to be bigger, and some clubs will benefit from that more than others.
“I still don’t think we’re gonna see crazy numbers, because the Premier League are still going to want to have a look at that, and they’re going to have to factor in the other clubs as well, and make sure that the fair market value principle still remains.”
Whilst City’s settlement with the Premier League could serve to benefit the Blues, their charges from the FA may open the door to legal action from their rivals.
Chelsea was hit with 74 charges alleging misconduct relating to agent payments, and they are currently under investigation.
However, despite the threat of a points deduction, the Blues look more likely to pay a fine rather than be hit with a sporting deduction, Plumley told Football Insider previously.