Aston Villa have turned what could have been a major setback into a significant triumph with their latest commercial deal.
Villa, who will play in the Champions League next season, have now turned their attention to 2024-25 after concluding their campaign with a heavy but ultimately inconsequential 5-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
From the first match next season, they will line up in anew kit produced by Adidas, which will also feature a new front-of-shirt sponsor.
It was announced in April that Villa had agreed a deal with online betting platform Betano, who it has since emerged will pay Villa £40m over the course of a two-year contract.
It is the last time Villa will ever have a front-of-shirt gambling sponsor as the Premier League has outlawed those partnerships from 2026-27.
Villa were sponsored by another gambling sponsors, BK8, this season, following a transition from Cazoo the previous year.
Developments in the Cazoo deal could have been a disaster for Villa, but they have navigated the turmoil and have now quadrupled their sponsorship revenue in barely over a year.
Cazoo announcement shows how Villa’s commercial fortunes have changed
Online used car dealership Cazoo are believed to have paid Villa £5-6m per season to be their sponsor between 2020 and 2023.
But they cancelled the deal in what was at the time believed to signal the start of the withdrawal from the sports sponsorship market.
And an announcement in the last 24 hours may explain why. As per the administrators themselves, Cazoo has entered administration.
As seen in the recent story involving Spurs and training kit sponsor Getir, these developments can leave sponsored clubs millions out of pocket
Villa have not only dodged that thanks to the end of the deal with Cazoo but have now struck a partnership which, at £20m, is worth almost four times as much.
Football finance analysis: Villa have come a long way since Cazoo deal
When Villa commenced their deal with Cazoo, they were establishing themselves as a Premier League side again following promotion the previous season.
Now, thanks to Unai Emery and his overachieving players, they are back in the Champions League for the first time since 1982-83.
And as their star his risen, so has their appeal as a commercial partner.
Their revenue from sponsorship and merchandising stood at £26.1m back in 2021 and has now risen to £46.4m.
By the time they release their accounts for 2023-24, it will be significantly higher than that. In 2024-25, it could be double.
One factor that is emblematic of their skyrocketing value as a partner is that Adidas think Villa could sell as many as 300,000 shirts in the coming season.
This is one of several factors which means they are on course to smash their previous club-record turnover, with income of £300m-plus anticipated next season.
Villa’s long-term vision is to be a sustainable, profit-making club, but owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris need sustained success on the pitch to make that happen.
Commercial income feeds into that, allowing them to stay within the limits in terms of a financial fair play system which is set to tighten next season.
Villa still need to make adjustments to ensure long-term FFP compliance, but their track record in terms of their player trading and commercial operation suggests they are more than capable.