Anybody who has watched Chelsea play this season will have noticed that the English club do not have a sponsor on the front of their shirt. In fact, 2025/26 is the third consecutive time the Blues have begun a Premier League campaign without one.
Earlier this summer, GIVEMESPORT reported that Chelsea hoped to have a deal with a sponsor wrapped up, aiming to bring in around £60m per year – which is more than Liverpool make, for example, with Standard Chartered. No arrangement, however, has been forthcoming and the club's latest plans have now fallen apart.
Indeed, Premier League rivals Arsenal have hijacked a deal instead. Making it all the more grating for the Blues, the Gunners will only display the sponsor on their shirt-sleeves as well, instead of on the front of their kits, as Chelsea had intended.
arsenal chelsea
As per trusted insider Hand of Arsenal, a 'massive' deal has been agreed with Deel, who will now replace the Visit Rwanda sleeve patch on the north London club's kit. They explained:
"Arsenal have reached a massive sponsorship agreement with Deel. The global payroll powerhouse is also believed to replace the Visit Rwanda sleeve patch on the iconic Arsenal jersey. Darren Dein, son of Arsenal ex-vice-chairman David Dein introduced the two parties. Darren is also credited for his work on the Spotify/Barcelona blockbuster deal. Juliet Slot and her team were at the heart of this mega deal which swiftly gained the approval of Josh Kroenke and new board."
Hand of Arsenal then explained how the Gunners swooped in to hijack the deal from Chelsea, with Deel feeling as though Arsenal were a more attartvie partnet:
"It is understood, Chelsea were closing in on an agreement with Deel as a exclusive shirt sponsor which fell through when Arsenal presented their global scalability power in comparison to the West London Blue club. This was a hijack Andrea Berta would be proud of."
When news of the deal broke on social media, a number of fans reacted strongly, with one Arsenal supporter boasting: "So Chelsea were about to finally get a shirt sponsor after 3 years of not having one then Arsenal stepped in and stole it for our sleeve sponsor."
Another added: "Taking a rival’s front shirt sponsor and putting them on the sleeve is insane lol." A third simply called it: "Nasty work."
Chelsea fans didn't react so well, noting: "Arsenal took our front of shirt sponsor and put it on their sleeve lmao. We got cooked." A final supporter said it was "embarrassing."
Arsenal Confirm Multi-Year Deal With Deel
arsenal player ratings
Arsenal have since officially confirmed the new partnership. A statement on the club's website explained they the American software company had become their 'official HR Platform Partner', having signed a multi-year deal. It added:
"The agreement marks Deel’s first major venture into world sport and reflects the company’s ambition to grow its global presence. Deel branding will appear across Emirates Stadium and our digital channels, including all home fixtures across the Premier League, Women’s Super League, FA Cup and League Cup.
"We now join the growing number of global organisations that use Deel to manage their team. Through the partnership, we will use Deel’s HR platform to streamline the management of our workforce and operations."
Alex Bouaziz, Co-Founder and CEO of Deel, said: "Arsenal is one of the most iconic clubs in world sport, followed by millions and competing at the highest level, which makes this partnership a natural fit with our own global ambition.
“We are proud to welcome Arsenal as a Deel customer, and support the club’s HR operations. This partnership is a milestone for us and places Deel at the heart of global football, connecting our platform with supporters and professionals in every corner of the world.”
Juliet Slot, Arsenal's Chief Commercial Officer, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Deel to our Arsenal family – a brilliant and innovative team who will bring so much to what we’re trying to achieve at our club.
"Their global platform matches the scale of our ambition and operations, and their investment will continue to power our growth. We’re looking forward to many successful seasons together.”
In October 2025, Deel announced a Series E funding round valuing the business at $17.3bn.
Interestingly enough, journalist Matt Law has since reported that Chelsea will announce 'a long-term sleeve sponsor for 26/27 and beyond in the coming weeks'. He noted that talks were held with Deel, but insiders deny the idea that Arsenal took the deal from them.