Hasenhuttl hails game-changing Southampton deal sending clear message


Ralph Hasenhuttl has praised Southampton’s new sponsorship deal and feels it gives him a chance to recruit players who can make a difference.

Saints announced on Thursday that they have secured a new sponsorship agreement with current partners Coingaming Group. And it is said to be the most lucrative deal in their history. The agreement means their brand, Sportbet.io, will adorn Southampton’s shirts for another three seasons.

The record-breaking sponsorship deal will boost the club’s chances of landing their targets this summer. And Hasenhuttl pulled no punches when revealing the significance of the news.

“For us, this is a very important deal. It is a long-term deal with a clear message,” he said. “It was absolutely necessary because we are losing a lot of money every month, because of the pandemic and because of having no supporters in the ground.

“It is very helpful for us to have partners we can trust and it was a big step for us.”

Saints are not safe yet after a woeful second half of the campaign. But recent victories over Sheffield United and Burnley have given them some breathing space.

Injuries have decimated the Austrian’s squad in 2020-2021 and he is looking froward to putting that right.

“This deal definitely gives us a chance to invest in the players that we need next season,” he added. “We have a few positions where we have big problems and big issues, and this will give us more alternatives for looking around.”

Hasenhuttl eyes early business

The norm for clubs is to wait until the back end of the wnidow in order to snare a few bargains. However, the pandemic means that finances are tight across the footballing world.

Therefore clubs will be forced to do deals when they emerge and Hasenhuttl expects a busy off-season.

“It is going to be a hot transfer summer, for sure, and I expect some big moves,” he continued. “There are a lot of teams struggling financially and you can make some good deals early.”

Concerns had been raised about having a gambling firm as the club’s main sponsor. But the manager was quick to point out that Sportsbet.io have an excellent reputation for promoting sensible gambling.

“I know that the company are taking care of these issues and I know that there were some discussions about taking a betting company as the main sponsor on the shirt,” he said.

“But to make such a deal at this moment of the pandemic, in a situation when a lot of teams are struggling to get sponsorships because of the economy, we can be happy about that.”

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