Chelsea sign Samsung as club sponsor

English Premier League leaders Chelsea signed a five-year sponsorship deal with South Korean electronics firm Samsung on Monday.

The deal makes Samsung the London club's official sponsor and players' shirts will carry the logo "Samsung Mobile" from next season. It is Samsung's second biggest partnership deal after its sponsorship of the Olympic Games.

"Samsung Electronics has a key part to play in the future global development of Chelsea and we believe we can play a similar role for it in its strategic aims," Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon told a news conference.

No financial details of the Chelsea deal were available. Media reports put its worth at 50 million pounds.

Chelsea have been looking for sponsors to replace Emirates Airlines whose deal expires at the end of this season.

Chelsea, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and poised to win their first league title for 50 years, had been looking for a worldwide consumer brand with strong links to the growing Asian market, Kenyon said.

Emirates are switching to last season's champions Arsenal who will name their new stadium Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have a complex eight-year deal with Emirates. It is worth a potential 100 million pounds and includes the naming of Arsenal's ground in north London, due to open in 2006, and a shirt deal.

Manchester United's four-year deal with Vodafone, signed in 2004, was worth a total of 36 million pounds.

On Wednesday, Chelsea will start as clear favourites in a Champions League semi-final first leg against a Liverpool side they beat in the League Cup final in February.

Chelsea's success on and off the pitch is a result of the club's 2003 takeover and subsequent financial transformation by Abramovich.

The tycoon has authorised spending on players in excess of 200 million pounds and has enabled them to shrug off record English soccer losses of 88 million pounds for 2003-04.

Announced in January, the pre-tax figures for the year to June 30, 2004, surpassed Leeds United's previous record loss of 49.5 million pounds in 2003.