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It's getting well past the time of the year when next season's Chelsea kits usually appear. In fact, it's become tradition nowadays to play the last game (or games, even) in the following season's shirts. This is how, for example, our terrible memories of Moscow actually feature the otherwise flawless 2008-09 kit.
That's not to say there haven't been leaks. Of course there have been leaks. There are always leaks. One style in particular, featuring a button collar, thin vertical stripes, and red piping has been appearing quite frequently, even way back during the winter, if not earlier.
Leaked: Introducing the new Chelsea 15-16 Home, Away and Third Kits: http://t.co/Gkp7ce9UVo pic.twitter.com/0MJFlxnOIv
— Footy Headlines (@Footy_Headlines) February 28, 2015
At first, it featured Turkish Airlines as the sponsor; then it was updated to show our new friends Yokohama. Matching away shirts (white with blue trim and a simple crew collar) and a third shirt (all black save for the adidas shoulder stripes and the white ring at the end of each sleeve) were part of the set as well. These kits have made the rounds so many times by now, it's almost a foregone conclusion that our shirts next season will indeed look like those.
The latest leak lends weight to that expectation by adding (Photoshopping?) the gold Premier League champions patches to the sleeves. I'm not sure what the original source may be, but here's one from Twitter:
Chelsea aiming for the ugliest kit in the Premier league. pic.twitter.com/Gr88iJHnnS
— Adam. (@Thibauted) May 14, 2015
Whether you like the new shirts or not, you are probably wondering by now why they have not been officially announced yet. One theory for the delay, as discussed earlier today at WAGNH Towers, is the change in shirt sponsorship. Basically, we're not going to see the new shirts (featuring Yokohama as the sponsor) until the Samsung deal officially expires. Which may be at the end of the league season or, what's even more likely, it may be at the end of June, when the football fiscal year starts/ends.* We've had Samsung (or Samsung Mobile) on the front of our shirts for so long that I have no idea what the procedure was last time we switched main sponsors. But all this sounds fairly logical to me.
* Intrepid WAGNH user PrematureQuiche's google-fu unearthed the following tidbit: "A Chelsea spokesman said: Samsung have exercised their right to extend their deal which will see them remain as a premium partner of the club until the end of May 2015." So perhaps the new kits will drop around that time.
Meanwhile, adidas are trolling keeping fans on their toes with little teasers.
@Griezzyyy Good things come to those who wait
— adidas UK (@adidasUK) May 13, 2015
Well, alright then. Back to waiting we go.