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We've already seen evidence of Tottenham Hotspur's 2016-17 home kit after an eagle-eyed Cartilage Free Captain reader snapped photos of one hanging in an Australian sporting good store. But what about the away kits?
Well, those have now leaked on the internet as well, and I'm guessing a lot of Spurs fans won't be particularly happy with what they see.
It can be difficult to ascertain colors from online photos, but contrary to the primarily navy blue kit that Footy Headlines suggested back in March, this away kit looks like it's a primarily black shirt with charcoal gray shoulders and gold accents like on the home kit.
That's all well and good. Tottenham have had terrible black and grey kits before – oh hi 2012 third shirts, I didn't see you there – but if these are real the thing that will REALLY get Spurs supporters up in arms will be the red AIA logo on the black shirts, something that goes counter to everything we've seen from Under Armor up until now.
This photo was released on image hosting site Imgur and posted to /r/coys yesterday. Some are arguing that it's a fake, mostly based on the fact that neither shirt in the photo is using the new round Premier League patches that will be debuted next season. (It's worth noting that the Australian kits did not have any logo on the sleeves.)
I'm somewhat inclined to agree. Aside from the patches, the away kit logo is printed waaaaay higher on the shirt than the home kit. It's weird and inconsistent, especially considering the thematic similarity to the home kits. The patches, differences to Footy Headline's leaks, similarity to the home kit, and the weird color scheme implies that either this is a THIRD kit and not an away kit, or it's a fake prototype. If it DOES happen to be real, I think it pretty much clinches the fact that I won't be buying a new kit next season.
Adding to the furor is the fact that it's new kit release season, but Tottenham Hotspur is late to the party this year. Last season's new kits dropped before the end of the Premier League season and Spurs debuted them on their post-season tour. This season we've heard nothing about Spurs' plans for the new kits, not even a teaser. It's reportedly the final year of Spurs' contract with Under Armor.
Spurs also might have scuttled plans to release the kits after the disastrous final month of the season, letting Spurs fans work out their anger before asking them to shell out their money to the club for next season's kits.
My verdict: probably fake. But what do you think?