Why Newcastle ended Castore kit deal early with adidas waiting in the wings - as Aston Villa complaints pile pressure on manufacturer

Newcastle United have reportedly ended Castore kit deal after repeated complaints from fans, with Adidas already waiting in the wings.

According to The Telegraph, the Magpies have ended their partnership with Castore over the poor quality of their merchandise after several complaints from their fans. There were even delays in order delivery after purchase which further prompted the club to terminate the contract.

However, there were no complaints from Newcastle players over the quality of the jerseys since they entered into the contract in 2021. Castore paid £5 million-a-year to Newcastle for the deal which was supposed to end in 2025-26 until it was ended prematurely.

Adidas have chipped in as the new manufacturer and will be providing the kits from next summer. In the recent Amazon Prime documentary, We Are Newcastle United, it was revealed that the club officials flew to Germany to seal the deal.

The Adidas deal is much sweeter than the Castore one as it is not only a more commercially lucrative contract, but also ensures that kit-quality is not compromised. It is reported that the global kit giant will be paying around £40 million a season for the next five years which is a massive hike from the erstwhile Castore deal.

Villa players have already expressed their discontent over their new kit as they become soaked in sweat very early in games and remain wet throughout. Nassef Sawiris, co-owner of Villa, reportedly owns a stake in Adidas which has fuelled speculations that the Clarets might follow Newcastle's footprints.