Tottenham’s commercial officer, Todd Kline, will imminently join Chelsea to take up a key executive role at Stamford Bridge.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Todd Kline is close to joining Chelsea once his Tottenham tenure ends. The key executive at Spurs has already resigned and has been placed on gardening leave until his time at the club ends, after which he will arrive at Stamford Bridge.
Todd Kline was appointed as Tottenham’s chief commercial officer in 2021, as Daniel Levy sought a top name to facilitate many commercial deals for the club. At the forefront of the Spurs’ chief was bringing in the right brand for the naming rights of their new stadium.
It is almost five years since the expensive new Tottenham stadium opened, and Levy had hopes of bringing a big name into the mix. He appointed Kline solely based on his track record, which included a groundbreaking deal for the NFL team, the Miami Dolphins, with Hard Rock, worth a reported £180 million.
Hence, while Kline came in with a big reputation of his own, three years later, Spurs’ stadium is still known as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and remains without a sponsor. The club have a glorious profile beyond football, and Levy will feel it is imperative to sell the naming rights.
However, Kline has already resigned from his role, and now Chelsea are close to appointing the key executive to their roster. Todd Boehly has made a series of new appointments recently, including Chris Jurasek as chief executive from Clearlake Capital and Casper Stylsvig as chief revenue officer from AC Milan.
Now, with Todd Kline in the pipeline, the key Tottenham executive will have been brought to find a new naming rights sponsor for Chelsea’s planned new stadium. The club is also looking for a new shirt sponsor, as their deal with incumbent Infinite Athlete ends in the summer.
Kline has been placed on gardening leave since resigning from Tottenham, and he will join Chelsea once the north London side releases him. Whether the Blues are getting a brilliant man to take them forward in their commercial quests remains to be seen.
He has done a substantial job at Tottenham, as commercial revenues have risen by £30 million in recent years under his watch. Chelsea will hope for a better outcome with this relationship, as the Blues have a significant need for someone of Kline’s stature.
