EPL club Arsenal has agreed to the "biggest kit deal in English football with sports giants Puma,” according to John Cross of the London DAILY MIRROR. The five-year agreement is worth more than $46.5M (all figures U.S.) annually. It is worth more than Liverpool’s new $38.8M-per-year contract with Warrior and “brings to an end Arsenal’s 20-year tie-up with Nike.” The deal also will be “a major coup” for Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis in addition to the club's jersey deal with Emirates airline and “will strengthen his belief that the club are making major strides forward off the pitch which will enable them to compete for the biggest signings.” Nike had an “exclusive renegotiation clause with Arsenal which has now expired and they have clearly decided not to renew.” adidas was “in pole position for the Arsenal deal and had even put forward designs but they announced last month that they would not be bidding.” Puma has “strong links with the African market and that is an area where they believe Arsenal are particularly strong and have even bigger potential” (London DAILY MIRROR, 5/8). In London, David Kent notes the Arsenal-Puma deal leaves Nike execs "counting only the Manchester clubs among their Premier League clients" when Manchester City switches to the brand next season. Nike will now "concentrate" on Manchester United, La Liga club FC Barcelona and the English national team (London DAILY MAIL, 5/8).
