Adidas brand Liverpool failures after signing new £150m Warrior kit deal

By Sportsmail Reporter

Swapping stripes: The distinctive Adidas three-stripe brand will no longer be on Liverpool shirts

Kit manufacturers Adidas highlighted Liverpool's lack of European success as they ended their association with the club.



The club have announce £150million deal with US company Warrior Sports after Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer claimed the club did not offer value for money.



The five-time winners of the European Cup have failed to qualify for Europe's elite competition in the last two seasons and look set to do so again this campaign.



'We thought what Liverpool were asking and what they were delivering was not in the right balance,' Hainer said.

'There was a gap between their performance on the field and what the numbers should be.



'It all depends on the success and the effort and the popularity, the exposure on TV and revenue you can generate by merchandising.

'This all has to be brought in line between what you offer and what you get. We thought what Liverpool were asking was not... right, then we said we will not do it - that’s the end of the story.'

Record deal: Liverpool's £150m deal is the biggest in English football history

The Reds' £25m-a-year deal with Warrior over the next six years will double the money the club currently earns from Adidas and surpasses Manchester United's £23m-a-year deal with Nike as the biggest in English football.



Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre responded to Adidas' attack, saying: 'We are disappointed Adidas seem to point to a lack of European football as a reason not to agree a new deal, and cannot see that we are on a par with the biggest football brands in the world.'



Warrior are a subsidiary of Boston-based New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc and supply the kit for baseball side Boston Red Sox, who are also owned by Liverpool owners Fenway Sports.



General manager Richard Wright celebrated the agreement, saying: 'We are not the sort of brand that is going to keep out head down.



'We are here to shake up the world of football and our partnership with one of the most successful club teams of all time is just the start.'



Only United, Real Madrid and Barcelona sell more kits globally than Liverpool. The club will continue to wear their Adidas kits for the remainder of the season.



