Gillett says new shirt sponsorship deal will please and surprise fans

There appears to be more movement in Liverpool football clubs new shirt sponsorship deal. As reported on this site on Thursday, the Reds are on the brink of announcing a new lucrative deal after current sponsors Carlesberg were unwilling to meet the clubs financial assessment reflecting their position as 'one of the most recognisable brands in world football'.

According to the Guardian, the Reds "are set to announce a new shirt sponsorship deal worth £80m over four years – the most lucrative in football history and equal to that of Manchester United."

The London-based international bank, Standard Chartered, are believed to be behind the deal which will start in mid-2010.

The Times says: "The deal with Standard Chartered will be confirmed by Liverpool imminently, with George Gillett Jr, the club’s co-owner, having admitted during a radio interview that he expects a formal announcement to be made on Friday."

The new sponsorship agreement with the London-based international bank will start in mid-2010 once current shirt deal with Carlesberg runs out.

Liverpool co-owner George Gillet had earlier stated that a new deal was close and that supporters would be impressed by the new sponsor.

"I think people will be pleased and surprised," Gillett told a Canadian radio station. "It will be one of the great, worldwide corporations. And I think it will be a sponsor people will be pleased and surprised to be associated with."

Gillett also claims that Liverpool are in excellent financial condition.

"The club is in outstanding shape," Gillett said. "Economically, it's never been stronger. We just paid down our debt very substantially. We have less debt per dollar than any club in the league."

Reds on the brink of striking new shirt sponsorship deal

Liverpool football club are believed to be on the brink of striking a new shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered, the insurance group. "A deal worth as much as £15million a year is being touted by industry insiders," reports the Times.

The clubs owners believe that Liverpool has frequently been under sold commercially and want a deal that reflects their position as 'one of the most recognisable brands in world football'. It is understood that the Reds have been seeking a financial agreement comparable with United’s £80m four year deal with 'Aon' and Chelsea's new deal with Samsung.

Yesterday the FA announced that they had secured a lucrative £50 million sponsorship deal with Carlsberg. However, "the brewer's decision to renew its contract with the FA almost certainly means the end of the company's long association with Liverpool," reports the article.

Carlsberg first signed up with the Reds in 1992 and were the Premier League's longest shirt sponsor under Liverpool FC. It is believed the Anfield club wanted Carlsberg to double its £7.2million-a-year payments to continue as sponsor, but the brewer has been unwilling to meet the fee.

Reds hold out for 'massive' shirt sponsorship deal

“Carlsberg is running out of time to negotiate a new shirt sponsorship deal with Liverpool” reports today’s Times. The article says the Reds are holding out for “a bumper contract amid interest from a host of leading international companies.”

With Manchester United securing an £80m four year deal earlier this month, Liverpool are looking to strike a similar deal, “but Carlsberg is offering only about half that sum,” claims the article. The owners believe that Liverpool has frequently been under old commercially and “want a deal that reflects their position as one of the most recognisable brands in world football.” The Danish brewer has been Liverpool's shirt sponsor since 1992. The current deal signed in February 2007 is worth £7.2 million a year, however it expires next summer. The article claims “Carlesberg has until the end of July to negotiate a new contract exclusively with Liverpool but thereafter the club will be able to explore other options.”

Liverpool believe that it is only right that they strike a deal comparable with United’s, as they are the most successful club in English football with an enormous worldwide fanbase. “Although Liverpool would like to conclude a deal sooner rather than later, they do not want to “get into bed” with the wrong partner and are prepared to take their time.”

In the meantime talks with Carlesberg are ongoing and “both parties would like their long association to continue.”

The story also lists the top shirt sponsors as they stand:
£80 million The four-year deal Manchester United signed with Aon

£75 million Juventus have a five-year contract with Tamoil, the international oil company

£68 million Bayern Munich's four-year deal with T-Home

£50 million Chelsea signed a five-year contract with Samsung in 2005

£38 million Real Madrid's three-year deal with Bwin.com, the online gaming company

Carlsberg want to put their name on new Anfield

LFC shirt sponsors Carlsberg want to put their name on Liverpool proposed new stadium, but the brewing company need to assess the financial stability of the club before committing themselves reports today’s Guardian. Carlsberg have been tied to the club since 1991 and the current contract, worth £7 million a year expires at the end of the 2009-10 season. The article goes on to say:

Carlsberg's head of sponsorship, Gareth Roberts, indicated his company would be monitoring the club's ability to refinance a loan of around £250m and, more crucially, progress on a new stadium.

The new 60,000-seat venue on the adjacent Stanley Park was due to have been ready by 2011, but the global economic downturn forced the co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, to halt building work last year. Carlsberg, though, are still keen on the new stadium bearing their name.
"That will be part of the discussion I'm sure, but there's been no decisions yet," Roberts said.

Roberts found the off-field tensions between Hicks and Gillett distracting, but last month's show of unity, with the Americans sitting together during the 4-4 draw with Arsenal, was an encouraging sign as negotiations between the parties intensify.

"We need to understand where they are going with the stadium, what is the next step?" Roberts told the Associated Press. "[The ownership situation] is a distraction. The best thing is they seem to have resolved the internal issues and they are going to take the next step. If it's done in the right way and they take the next step then absolutely.

"The ownership issue is also about the stadium and the financial setup. The stadium is a big step of their progression in the future and we want to be part of that."

Naming rights have been on the owners' agenda since they bought the club in 2007, with Gillett saying the windfall could subsidise buying a high-profile player every year.

This is obviously a delicate subject that is sure to keep die hard fans debating. But one thing is clear, naming rights could unlock some serious money for the club. Arsenal's 13-year stadium deal with airline Emirates is valued at £100m, which includes an eight-year shirt deal.