Chelsea aiming to DOUBLE revenue in 'next 10 years' as they eye a place among Europe's financial superpowers - and they could agree dual stadium-shirt sponsor deal like Arsenal
- Champions Chelsea are currently fourth in list of Premier League earners
- Under new commercial director, they are planning to double their revenue
- Chris Townsend wants to take Chelsea from eighth in Europe to among top five
- One potential way is by copying Arsenal's Emirates stadium/shirt dual deal
Premier League champions Chelsea are plotting a bold move to double the club's revenue and move them closer to the biggest earners in world football.
The west London club are eyeing an Arsenal-style stadium and shirt dual deal, which could help them keep pace with Manchester United at the summit.
Chelsea are currently the fourth-biggest superpower in English football, according to Deloitte's revenue rankings, but the Blues' new commercial director Chris Townsend is looking to change that.
Chelsea's new commercial director has bold plans to double the club's revenue in next decade
He has planned a bold hike in the next 'seven to 10 years', which would see Chelsea move into the top four or five earners in Europe.
Speaking to the Financial Times, he revealed is targeting more sponsors, taking the club up from 12 to between 30 and 35.
'Manchester United, Manchester City and others have anywhere between 50 and 70 [sponsors],' Townsend said. 'We plan to focus on more premium brands in a far more limited range of categories.'
Since Roman Abramovich's arrival, Chelsea have shot up the football and financial leagues
Chelsea's turnover for the last financial year (2015-16 season) was £334.6m, a figure which is dwarfed by United's £515.3m.
Manchester City and Arsenal also sit above Chelsea in the rankings, and it is the Gunners' model which Townsend wants to copy.
When they moved to the Emirates Stadium, the north Londoners took on a dual sponsorship deal with Emirates that saw the airline achieve shirt sponsorship and stadium naming rights.
The Premier League champions are only the fourth biggest English side in terms of money
Chelsea are keen to move stadiums in the coming years, which would leave a similar sponsorship deal on the table for them.
As it stands, Chelsea are currently in the formative stages of a 15-year kitwear deal with Nike worth £900m, while Yokohama tyres pay the club £50m a year as the main shirt sponsors.
There is also a further £10m in sponsorship income from Carabao, whose name is on Chelsea's training gear.
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