Arsenal signs Puma kit deal after 20 years with Nike

Puma says Arsenal represents a major commercial and marketing opportunity

Premier League leader Arsenal FC has announced it is changing kit maker to Puma from Nike, after two decades with the US sportswear giant.

The German firm Puma has not revealed the exact value of the five-year deal, but it is worth more than £30m a year.

The cash will boost Arsenal in the transfer market, with the current winter window closing on Friday.

The north London team last changed manufacturer in 1994, to Nike from Adidas. Before that it used Umbro kit.

Puma will officially become the kit supplier from 1 July. Until then, no official kit designs will be released.

'Commercial opportunity'

Currently, Cardiff City and Newcastle United are the only Premier League clubs to have their kit made by Puma, so the Arsenal deal is a coup for its new chief executive Bjoern Gulden.

The German firm will also make other Arsenal-branded merchandise for sale to Gunners' fans around the world.

Puma said the deal was the biggest ever, for both itself and the football club.

It also supplies kit to German giants Borussia Dortmund and national teams including Italy, and said it wanted to establish itself as the third major football brand behind Adidas and Nike

"Arsenal represents a major commercial and marketing opportunity to reinforce Puma's credibility as a global sports brand," Mr Gulden said in a statement.

The company's biggest name athlete is Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

In September the multiple Olympic sprint champion renewed his sponsorship deal until after the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.