The Closing Gap

So far this season we have seen a number of ‘shocks’ in the Premier League with Arsenal being defeated on the opening day by West Ham, the same side crushing Liverpool and beating Manchester City, Leicester occupying a top six spot and Crystal Palace and Alan Pardew continuing to be the bane of Mourinho’s second managerial stint at Chelsea.

The reigning Champions have been languishing just above the relegation spots for most of the season and no team is clearly dominating the league despite City showing early promise to do just that. Except it’s not a shock.

The reason the Premier League is called the greatest league in the world is not for TV money, attendances or star names that ply their trade here. It’s the unpredictability. We can with some certainty predict the top 4-6 but the order is anyone’s guess and the rest of the league is a mystery even to soothsayers, mystics and seers.

Continued increases in TV revenue has financed a flood of talent into the Premier League and as Alan Pardew said, the first choice eleven of the teams outside of the top four or five clubs has increased in quality and now there is little between pretty much every side in the league. Squad depth is a different story but on their day any team can beat another and it not be a massive shock.

It’s not just the TV money either. Improved technical quality of clubs like Crystal Palace attracts premier companies like the Mansion Group to sponsor them. This is a global business who can help grow the international Eagles brand. Sagi Lahav, CEO of Mansion Group, said: “We look forward to working together with Crystal Palace on a number of initiatives that will enhance the visibility of both of our brands, whilst providing a platform for CPFC fans, and our Mansion casino members, to benefit from the partnership.”

Primary sponsorship deals like this one are a good barometer of where a club is, or where they are heading. Arsenal fans were a little miffed at first with the announcement of PUMA as they were seen to be a standard below Nike and Adidas, their two previous shirt-makers, but they got a good financial deal out of it as the brand appeal of Arsenal helps to strengthen their brand. Where the Palace and Mansion deal is different is you have a global brand willing to apply its reputation to what is essentially a fledgling Premier League side. Mansion investing sponsorship funds into Palace suggests the South London club is on the up and close to achieving the level of recognisability you would expect from a top tier side.

A partnership like this can be the start of something special. Crystal Palace already have the beating of many clubs, they can hold their own against the big ones, they have an experienced but still relatively young manager and a youthful, attacking squad who play attractive football. The financial boost from a primary sponsor like Mansion allows Crystal Palace to attract elite talent like Cabaye and enhances their ability to retain their best young players.

Crystal Palace have a great youth set-up and now they have the financial power to compete for a few top class players to sprinkle star dust to their squad. Within a year or two you would expect this to result in a sustained attack on a European spot.

They’ve attracted a wonderful suitor who can help them achieve the next step in their evolution as a club. This is an example of where the right partnerships can really transform a club. The gap is closing and it’s closing fast.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook, add us to your G+ circle and follow us on Twitter.