City Watch: Blues sign £1b kit deal with Puma

Another week has gone by meaning there are only four weeks until the Premier League season kicks off again.

Since last weeks column, I was hoping there would be more news to talk about in relation to Manchester City’s transfer movements or maybe even some information on where the 115 charges was going to be heading, since we’re still none the wiser as to how that might pan out.

However, there’s really not much breaking news, everything really has gone very quiet. There is one piece of news to discuss which has broken in the last few days, and that’s City’s new deal being announced with Puma. Manchester City began their shirt partnership with the brand in 2019, and this week it’s been announced that the deal will extend another 10 years, reportedly being worth around £1 billion in that time.

For those who have done the math, that’s £100 million a season, and yes, that is the highest in Premier League history. I think this really shows how far the club has come and the direction it’s going. For me, the treble in 2023 put us on a different planet to where we were before; I believe it began to pull more fans in across the world, and this deal is another reflection of this growing size in the club.

Puma have released some great City kits since the partnership began, so I’m hoping this trend continues moving forward. Speaking of kits, the club have announced that the teams away shirt will be released on Friday this week, with reports and leaks suggesting it’s going to be an all black kit. Leaks sometimes do have to be taken with a pinch of salt, but from what I gather, the black strip with silver inserts is what we’re getting, and for any of those who have seen it, this may be one of my favourites.

The only other piece of potential news I’m keen to talk about is the ongoing transfer saga of Newcastle United’s, Tino Livramento. It’s clear that City have made significant improvements to their squad, mostly before the Club World Cup, but everything since those transfers has completely gone quiet.

The only position I believe we need a starting player in now is right back, and Tino would be the perfect fit. However, the Magpies are reluctant to sell as they see the 22 year old as a key player in their squad. I’m hoping something changes over the next few weeks that puts City in a position to move forward, however, with the Englishman also reluctant to request to transfer, this one might be a little more tricky than the others.