Chelsea have launched their new home kit for 2022/23, which has been dedicated to legendary manager Ted Drake but another sub-plot of the kit launch video comes with who was involved in promoting the strip.
Off the pitch, things are starting to take some shape under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital after an exodus from the board and key players in the backline, which has caused uncertainty surrounding the future and direction of the Blues. However, things are starting to look positive once more with the fact that there is some significant moves on the incoming front in the transfer market, as well as progress off the field commercially.
It has been rumoured for a long while, but Chelsea's new home kit, which included that standout turquoise blue and white collar, has finally been released. Chelsea revealed their inspiration for the new home kit on their website: 'The visionary former Chelsea manager [Drake] is best remembered for guiding us to our first-ever top-flight league title in 1955, having recruited wisely and in contrast to the past when unreliable big names were signed.
READ MORE: Chelsea 2022/23 home and away kits 'leaked' ahead of official release and USA pre-season tour
'It was his [Drake's] work to revolutionise the club off the pitch that did much to cement his lasting legacy at Chelsea, and that is honoured in our new home kit for 2022/23.
'Drake was the man who changed the club's nickname from 'the Pensioners' to 'the Blues', feeling it more fitting for the dynamic team he was building in west London. It is a moniker which has remained ever since, and 'the Blues' appears in the detailing on the buttons of the new shirt's collar.
'That collar also references another change to the club's identity made by Drake, which has stood the test of time - the introduction of the iconic 'lion rampant regardant' to the club's badge - replacing the image of a Chelsea Pensioner as the central theme under the legendary Blues boss.
'The current badge is largely similar to the one which was worn on the team's shirts for the first time during Drake's final season at the Bridge in 1960/61, with the 'lion rampant regardant' still present and inspiring the Pride of London.
'Symbolic of the club's determination and fearlessness, the heraldic lion features further on the Henley neckline in a turquoise pattern. A detail that evokes 1950s style with a contemporary twist, it feels as fresh today as Drake's vision did way back when.'
The kit itself is set to go on sale in the megastore and online from July 13. By that time, Raheem Sterling could be a new Chelsea signing through the door with a deal for the Three Lions international very close after personal terms were agreed on Wednesday. July 9 has been set as the date in which the Blues aim to have his signing and one more announced before they board the plane to Los Angeles for their pre-season tour.
More significantly, though, on the outgoing side of things, two players were included in the promo video for the new kit, which was released first on Chelsea Women's social media. Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta were both looking rather upbeat and happy amid exit links to Juventus and Barcelona, respectively.
Could this mean that both are set to stay one more season, at least during this transitional period under new ownership? We shall soon see...
Chelsea fans- What do you make of the new home kit, and is it really significant that both Pulisic and Azpilicueta were in the promo video? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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