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Liverpool are to partner with Adidas from the start of next season(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Liverpool and Adidas are to be reunited.

The Reds confirmed that the German sportswear giant would take over as kit partner from Nike from the beginning of August.

A ‘multi-year deal’ was announced on Monday, and while the value of the deal was not made public is it understood to be Liverpool’s most valuable ever when all potential add-ons are considered.



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Adidas won the tender process last year, with Nike and Puma having also been in the running.

In choosing Adidas, it meant an end to a five-year partnership between Nike and Liverpool, one that the club were prepared to go to the High Court to win in 2019, but a fit that never perhaps felt as comfortable as they had hoped.

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So why have Liverpool decided to switch?

If you compare Adidas and Nike then Nike don’t really seem to chime with football culture and heritage in the same way that Adidas does.”

Liverpool and Nike did partner on a range of merchandise that leveraged the relationship that the Reds had with basketball icon and partner in Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, LeBron James, with James Nike’s most prominent athlete client.

They also did a range with Converse, Nike’s sister brand, and Haddad believes that the partnership will deliver more of the same, but that the strong link to football culture that Adidas has may well see that avenue explored in a more focused way.

Said Haddad: “I got the impression that the Nike and Liverpool partnership maybe wasn’t as neat a brand fit as maybe they would have hoped for.

Adidas is very much football heritage, and I think that has been compelling for Liverpool in making a change.

“They did produce some interesting lines, such as the LeBron James merchandise link-up, but that was maybe a little too niche and took them away from the kind of football heritage and culture that has been a success for Adidas with some of their other major clubs.

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“Replica shirt sales are driven by how big the design changes are and how the club does on the field.

When it comes to other areas of the product line, Liverpool obviously thought that there would be a greater chance of commercial success with Adidas.