The new Nike Chelsea home kit 2022/23 has been released – and it's a bit plainer from last season's jazzy effort.
Last season, the Blues wore a 60s-inspired Mod-style shirt with yellow trim – but in Nike's tradition of going from simpler to wackier and back again with the west Londoners' tops, this new shirt is a lot more minimal than the last top.
…with the exception of that collar. Inspired by the club badge and former manager Ted Drake, the sky blue and white collar is stealing the attention already. Get used to it, since it's apparently going to be central to the design of the away shirt, too.
Premier League kits are dropping thick and fast at the moment, along with European kits. The Women's Euros shirts have already dropped, while World Cup 2022 jerseys are just around the corner.
Chelsea's shirt release comes with a new sleeve sponsor in WhaleFin, while 3 Mobile remain the main shirt sponsor.
Retro is back in, though – Chelsea have had their fair share of stunning vintage shirts – and the Blues are paying tribute to former manager Drake with this shirt, however, since it's 70 years this summer since the iconic former gaffer arrived at Stamford Bridge.
"The visionary former Chelsea manager 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," Chelsea say in their release, obviously not mentioning Romelu Lukaku by name.
"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."
So what do you think, then? One of the best shirts of the summer so far or not your type? Let us know on Twitter.
