Just as he is leading Arsenal’s goal scoring chart just over a month into the new season with four goals in all competitions, Alexis Sanchez has been revealed to be the player leading the pack in Arsenal’s shirt sales. The 25 year old Chilean who arrived at Arsenal in July in a £30 million deal has been a big hit with Arsenal fans in terms of the number and percentage of shirts bearing his name that has been sold since his arrival.
The figure stands at 36.4% being the percentage of shirts ordered that has Sanchez or Alexis on it. This revelation came to light when Kitbag, an online retail outlet revealed the figures of it kits sales. Interestingly Alexis Sanchez stands second only to Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo whose shirts sales commands 38% of the orders received by the retail outlet.
This new revelation further gives credence to the fact that a club cannot really further it commercial activities except through world class signings. It is no surprise that Arsenal’s commercial activities have picked up since the signings of Mesut Ozil and now Alexis Sanchez. These calibre of signings appeals to the fan because of their world class status, and they can easily be projected as the face of the club in furtherance of it commercial activity.
Real Madrid is another example of a club who has used this strategy to great effect in recent years, from the signing of David Beckham to Cristiano Ronaldo who still commands a lot of appeal despite spending 5-years already in Real Madrid’s colours.
It was apparent that in the recent financial reports dictating the club’s account released last Friday, one of the reasons that was pointed out as a contributory factor to the increased turnover of the club was an increase in the club’s commercial revenue.
The sustenance of such commercial activity can only be linked to the number of world class signings in a squad which in turn breed excitement on and off the field. Although, this is not absolute, there is no doubt it goes a long to enhance a club’s commercial pursuit.
Although, Arsene Wenger proudly proclaimed in October, 2007 that Arsenal do not buy world class players, but they make them. However, the signing of two world class players in the last two summer transfers have seen the club modify it policy slightly, and it is not surprise that the multiplier effect is a proportional increase in shirt sales on one of those players, and by a larger effect on the commercial activities of the club.
