Having agreed a three–year deal last summer with Mohammed Al Fayed and Fulham, French sportswear brand Airness had a platform to introduce their wares to the British public and global television audiences.

However with deliveries not arriving after the season had started two months Fulham had lost a lot of revenue from merchandise sales. Could this poor performance by Airness have triggered a get out clause for Fulham? Manager Chris Coleman was wearing a Nike training top with club crest and main sponsors Pipex’s logo emblazoned across key areas during the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United for the whole world to see. As were his whole backroom staff on the Fulham bench.

Fulham have no stock of the Airness home kit on their website or in the club megastore and away kit stock is running low. The site also says that the Airness kit will “meet the needs of the players and supporters”. They have already disappointed the supporters by not having the strip before the season started and again by running out of stock. All signs point to a change of kit manufacturer at the end of the current season and with the backroom staff wearing Nike already it looks like a done deal.

Could Nike be looking to capitalise on the American influence in SW6, by sponsoring the club and selling shirts both in the UK and in the States.