Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

The first week of sales from the official August 1 launch of the new Reds home and away kits set new records for the club.

Having made the decision late last year to switch from Nike to Adidas, ending five years with the US sporting apparel giant, Liverpool communicated the decision officially earlier this year with greater detail emerging from the release of the new merchandise at the start of this month.

Most notable was the fact it is a ten-year agreement between the Reds and the German firm.

The actual value of the deal is not known and various reports have placed it around £65 million to £70m per year, but that does not take into account the bonuses for competitive success or how much of a slice Liverpool takes from the sale of Reds/Adidas branded merchandise globally.

READ MORE:Liverpool chief hints at what is to comes with adidas after 'huge' Nike successREAD MORE:EXCLUSIVE: Inside Liverpool and adidas global plans as 10-year deal starts

So how does it stack up against other deals, with rival Premier League clubs Manchester United and Manchester City having inked their own £900m and £1bn 10-year deals over the last 18 months with Adidas and Puma, respectively?

Dan Haddad, head of commercial strategy at global advisory firm Octagon, which specialises in sport, told the ECHO: “Adidas and Nike structure their deals very well, and they are very good at forecasting demand and sales.

The ceiling will be far higher for the Adidas and Liverpool deal than what has been reported.

Article continues below

“With this Adidas deal, the way they are marketing the club and putting a lot behind it tells you quite a bit.

Perhaps for Nike, when athat was winding down there was less focus, but from the off and after success last year for Liverpool, Adidas are going to be really leveraging those rights.”

The Adidas deal represented the first time that Liverpool had locked in on such a long-term deal with a partner from the first contract, something that has been commonplace in the United States sporting ecosystem for some time but is now a trend seen in the Premier League.

“In a club’s commercial ecosystem the tier of global partner level is three or four years max, traditionally,” said Haddad.

“But clubs want to now avoid significant churn at that level and principal partners now are at least five to seven years, which is where clubs look for a starting point.

That’s been a changing trend.

“Both Liverpool and Adidas will be confident on this deal.

Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.

_Follow us on _Twitter @?LivEchoLFC - the official Liverpool ECHO LFC Twitter account - for all the latest LFC news as it happens in real time.

_We're also on _Facebook/LiverpoolEchoLFC - your must-see LFC news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO.

Article continues below

Listen to our podcasts by searching for 'Blood Red' wherever you get your podcasts.

_Sign up for one of the Liverpool Echo's free daily and weekly newsletters on _Liverpool FC by clicking here.


For more news relating to Manchester City, visit our sister site City Latest Live.