Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has come under pressure for the poor player recruitment, and his latest off field addition now risks the wrath of the fanbase once again.
That's because Tottenham Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Todd Kline is heading to Stamford Bridge after handing in his resignation. It's been well documented that Kline failed to deliver a sponsor for the Spurs stadium naming rights after the Tottenham stadium was built.
Stadium naming rights can be an extremely lucrative bonus for clubs, with Bayern Munich said to have received €130m from Allianz for the right to have their brand name as the name of their ground.
Who is Todd Kline?
Rewind to 2021 and Todd Kline was a name Tottenham fans muttered with quiet excitement. Kline was appointed to the Spurs hierarchy by Chairman Daniel Levy with an impressive CV to his name; most notable on his resume is his association with NFL franchise Miami Dolphins.
Kline was a key part of the team that secured the Dolphins’ “Hard Rock” naming rights for their stadium. It was one of the richest deals of its kind at the time with the Dolphins raking in £180m.
Needless to say, Kline’s reputation led fans and experts alike into thinking that he’d line Tottenham up for a similarly big pay day in the stadium naming space. Despite spending three years at the club, Kline has failed to deliver on the Spurs stadium naming rights.
Driving Growth without Spurs stadium naming rights
The lack of a stadium name at Tottenham has to go down as a black mark against Kline’s name, though it is only part of the executive's story in North London. Whilst overseeing the commercial function at the club, Kline was critical to significant growth of revenue.
Most fans will be familiar with Spurs’ links with Cinch and Getir – sleeve and training gear sponsors respectively – whilst the groundbreaking Formula One track due to be built at the stadium was also, in part, down to Kline.
The proof is in the numbers too. Deloitte, who are one of the most trusted accounting firms in the world, rank Spurs as the largest club in London where revenue is concerned with the club having grown by £549m in the latest season on season review.
With all that noted, Kline may well be a good addition to Chelsea’s senior staff – albeit his exact position isn’t yet known. Whether or not he can make gold from Stamford Bridge, however, looks to be somewhat of an unknown.