United could make £26m a season for naming rights

Manchester United are missing out on more than £26million a season in potential revenue for Old Trafford’s naming rights, according to corporate finance advisors Duff & Phelps.

That figure, which is £7million more than Manchester City earn from Etihad’s sponsorship of their ground, is contained in a new study of naming rights values.

Duff & Phelps believes the value of this market in the Premier League has risen by 80 per cent from £74.6million in 2013 to £135.6million last year, with the league’s ‘big six’ accounting for more than three quarters of that sum.

United, however, have repeatedly said they have no intention of selling the naming rights to their 75,000-capacity home.

The study ranks Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge as the third most valuable naming rights deal at nearly £18million a year, with Spurs’ new White Hart Lane worth a potential £15.5million to a sponsor - marginally more than Emirates’ deal with Arsenal.

Liverpool’s Anfield is in sixth place at £11.1million, a reflection of the fact the naming rights to famous old grounds are not particularly attractive to sponsors as very few people ever use the new names.

The evidence from North America, where naming-rights deals are common, suggests sponsors are also reluctant to take on a ground that has previously been sponsored by somebody else - like Newcastle United briefly renaming St James’s Park as the Sports Direct Arena - as the name tends to linger.

West Ham are keen to tap into this market, but efforts to secure a naming-rights partner for the London Stadium have been hampered by negative headlines related to its building and running costs.