Arsenal Throw it Back to the ’90s, Plus Other Recent 2021-22 European Kit Unveilings

European club football seasons are getting set to kick off, which means we’re seeing more away and third kits being unveiled in the lead-up, plus a few stragglers with their home kits. Here’s a look at some of the most recent reveals…

ARSENAL – Third

After taking it back to the early 2000s for their home kit, Arsenal have gone back even further for inspiration for their 2021-22 third kit, made by adidas. The thunderbolt pattern harkens back to away kit designs the club wore in 1994-95 and 1995-96. The bolts are dark blue with red borders, and the base features a speckle pattern of blue and teal. The crew neck collar and sleeve cuffs are blue, while the adidas shoulder stripes and sponsor logos are white. The adidas logo on chest is red and white, with a blue outline.

Along with the kit, adidas has released a special edition ZX 2K Boost 2.0 sneaker that features some of the same design elements as the shirt.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN – Third

German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen are all in on vertical stripes in 2021-22. Their home kit features black and red vertical stripes for the first time since 2005-06, and the motif has carried over to their Jako-manufactured third jersey, albeit much more subtly. The shirt is royal blue with tonal vertical stripes down the front. The collar and sleeve cuffs have neon green trim, while the Jako and sponsor logos are white. The club crest is rendered in blue and white.

🇩🇪 Check out SportsLogos.net’s 2021-22 Bundesliga kit preview! 🇩🇪

RANGERS FC – Third

Scottish Premiership side Rangers FC had not planned to unveil their 2021-22 third kit, made by Castore, until later in August, but were forced to debut it this week in a Champions League qualifying match to avoid clashing with their opponents, Swedish side Malmö FF. The shirt is light purple with tonal triangles all over. The collar is black, while the sponsor logos, manufacturer logo and special 150th anniversary RFC monogram are all white. It is inspired by a kit Rangers wore in European competition during the 1994-95 season.

CAGLIARI – Away

Italian Serie A side Cagliari have released their away kit for 2021-22, which features horizontal stripes down the front, which are significantly denser on the right side compared to the left. The sleeves are solid white, while the crew neck collar and sleeve cuffs are both blue with red trim. The adidas logo and shoulder stripes are blue.

UDINESE – Home

Udinese of Italy’s Serie A and manufacturer Macron have stuck with their traditional home look of black and white stripes for 2021-22, but have added light grey pinstripes over top. The shirt’s polo collar is black, while the sleeves are solid white with small black triangular inserts at the cuffs. The back of the jersey has a solid black box for a white number, with enough white space between it and the collar for a player name set in black (visible in this Twitter video). The writing on the back collar reads “La Passione è la nostra Forza” (“Passion is our Strength”).

US SALERNITANA 1919 – Home & Away

Salernitana are back in Italy’s Serie A for the first time since 1998-99, and they make their return in kits manufactured by Italian sportswear company Zeus. The home kit is garnet — a colour the club first wore in the 1940s and has been the primary home kit colour the since the club changed its name in 2012 — with black stripes on the shoulders and sides, and a tonal camouflage pattern. Zeus’s logos appear on the chest and shoulders in white.

Salernitana’s away kit for 2021-22 swaps white for garnet as the main color — though garnet is retained on the sleeves — and keeps the camouflage pattern. The Zeus logos are rendered in garnet, and shoulder and side panel stripes are light blue. The shade of blue may be derived from kits the club originally wore in 1919, where it represented the sea, as Salerno has a long history as a port city.

EMPOLI FC – Home, Away & Third

Empoli has dipped in and out of Italy’s top flight over the past few years, but are back in Serie A in 2021-22 after winning last season’s Serie B title. Their kits for this season, made by Kappa, all follow the same template, and all have a tonal graphic of a lion adorning the front. The home kit is mainly blue, with white accents on the collar, sleeve cuffs and underarm. The club crest is placed in the middle of the chest.

Empoli’s away kit is predominantly white, with blue accents. Of the three kits, the lion graphic is most visible on this one.

Empoli’s third kit is mainly black with grey accents. The club crest also appears to be rendered in black and grey. The Kappa logos and sponsor logos are white.