Premier League side Southampton sign record shirt deal with LD Sports – who are Saints’ new Chinese sponsors?
- Club confirm biggest deal in their history but fans puzzled by identity of the Chinese company replacing Virgin Media
- No English-language website for ‘brand new sports content, marketing and entertainment platform’ set to launch later this summer
English Premier League side Southampton have signed a record sponsorship deal for LD Sports to replace Virgin Media on the front of their shirts next season, it was announced on Monday.
The club confirmed the deal with a press release that was taken up by international media outlets.
However, fans of the south coast side have been worried by the lack of online presence from a company that the club statement describes as “a brand new sports content, marketing and entertainment platform, which is launching this summer for the Chinese market”.
“As main club sponsor, its logo will now take pride of place on the first team’s kits through to the end of the of the 2021-22 campaign,” the statement said, adding that the logo will also be “on the front of the Under-23s’ and Under-18s’ shirts, along with the various squads’ training wear”.
The deal is said to help the club “to establish and develop the company’s brand and presence in China”, something which has increased following the arrival Gao Jisheng as majority shareholder in 2017.