Chelsea appear to have hinted that they will be wearing their new home kit for the 2020/21 season in tonight’s clash against London rivals West Ham.
The Associated Press’ Rob Harris reports that the Blues will be wearing the new strip for the remainder of the season, which has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, due to sponsorship complexities.
Harris adds that Chelsea’s new deal with mobile operator Three comes into play from today, which has made this possible.
Some of the west London outfit’s supporters aren’t too keen on new shirt.
It's matchday, and the Blues have a fresh look! ?
What are your #WHUCHE score predictions? ? pic.twitter.com/fFY8ihzYtH
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 1, 2020
The three-month break in the season has created complexities with sponsorships.
Chelsea's new deal with 3 begins today – so there's a shirt change for the final month of the season starting with tonight's game at West Ham pic.twitter.com/ZwZ8SsHcva— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) July 1, 2020
The new shirt is much plainer than Chelsea’s current home strip, there isn’t as strong a pattern on the shirt and there’s also a navy trim on the sleeves and the neck now.
Three’s logo dominates the front of the shirt, the newer muted design draws more attention to the sponsor’s branding on the top.
It does have a very ‘training top’ kind of look about it, which is perhaps why some fans aren’t too pleased with the new design.