Centre-backs at full-back, VAR lines, newly promoted teams attempting to play out from the back.
There are several modern tropes that often get the more traditional football fan brandishing their fists in pure anger, and the redesign of club badges have not been exempt from that over the years – looking at you, Leeds United. But occasionally, new designs are rightly welcomed with open arms.
With that said, we’ve taken a look at the redesigns that have gone rather well following the news that Tottenham Hotspur have undergone a change of their own by simply removing the words from underneath their badge.
10 West Ham United (2016)
Now, this one may be a controversial shout – hence its place at number 10 – but West Ham United are one of few clubs to have done simplicity well. They moved on from Upton Park and into the modern London Stadium, which receives mixed reviews in its own right – and took a new badge with them, introducing the change in 2016.
Ditching the crest’s shape and the castle, the Hammers replaced their old badge with a new shape based on the bow of HMS Warrior – the first armour-plated, iron-hulled warship built and launched at Thames Ironworks in 1860. For all the modern touches, it remains a badge decorated with history.
9 Bristol City (2019)
Replacing the heraldic crest with a simple robin in 2019, which showcases their red home shirt, Bristol City stepped into the modern world through simplicity in what was a successful badge change. The new design was chosen to reflect the club’s progressive attitude and to create an identity that the fans could be proud of.
A robin, meanwhile, was picked because of its symbol of hope and rebirth, as well as its place in the club’s history. Modern, simple and effective, City’s redesign was much-needed in 2019. However, whether the Robins are one day reborn in the Premier League remains to be seen.
8 Fiorentina (2022)
Unveiling a club manifesto alongside a new badge in 2022, Fiorentina had the task of redesigning a historic pillar of the Florence community. In the end, like many others, not much change was needed. The Italian club simply changed the size and shape of the badge whilst staying true to the violet colour and removing the gold outline.
Perhaps the gold outline will return one day if Fiorentina find themselves at the top of Italian football, but for now, their redesign remains simpler and more in line with the club’s main colours.
7 Chelsea (2005)
Chelsea’s badge from the early 2000s will be unrecognisable to some. After all, the Blues’ decision to redesign their crest was the beginning of their Premier League success, meaning that many will associate their current badge with the majority of their history, which is certainly ideal for the designers.
A new badge was the right choice, it must be said. Chelsea’s old crest was pretty dated, with a yellow and blue lion in between the CFC letters, creating a very ‘old First Division’ look rather than that of the Premier League’s prestige.
Stepping into the Premier League title race just as the cameras could take a look at their new badge, Chelsea’s crest, which is a modern take on their badge from their previous 50s heyday, is now one of the most recognisable in English football.
6 Arsenal (2002)
Before Chelsea, Arsenal paved the way for the modern badge by swapping their old design, which featured gold, red and the famous cannon that we are all familiar with these days. For over two decades, the Gunners have had the modern design, which kept the gold cannon but changed the main colours to red with a hint of blue.
In the last year, we’ve even seen the cannon alone featured on club kits in what would be the ultimate change. The former crest has plenty of history and remains a favourite, but the current logo has become iconic in its own right.
5 Inter (2021)
There would have been plenty of nerves surrounding Inter’s redesign in 2021 after Juventus had gone too far the other way towards minimalism whilst binning a historic look. But those at the San Siro did not make the same mistake. Rather than ditching the ideas in their previous crest, it seems as though Inter simply updated them into a modern look.
Where Juventus failed, Inter enjoyed success, and that change has ironically been reflected on the pitch ever since, with the former struggling to take back their Serie A crown in a frustrating few years.
4 Deportivo Alaves (2020)
Deportivo Alaves completed the task that several top clubs failed to achieve when they redesigned their badge to such success in 2020. Simplifying the appearance, the sky blue colour was ditched in favour of a blue and white design, whilst the flag now slots straight into the new crest shape.
A badge worthy of a La Liga place, Alaves will now be looking to maintain their status as a top-flight club in style for a third consecutive campaign to represent a new era.
3 Brentford (2016)
Speaking of clubs taking new badges into a new era with them, Brentford redesigned theirs for the first time in 23 years back in 2016 and have not looked back since. Swapping the rather chaotic and classic English design, Brentford decided to focus on the bee alongside the red and white colours to create a far more modern badge now well-recognised in the division.
It’s fitting that those in west London eventually took their new badge into the Premier League rather than their old design, which now represents an era outside of England’s top tier.
2 Man City (2016)
At the time, ditching the classic eagle didn’t seem like a good idea for Manchester City. Many were unsure about their new badge, but time is a great healer and their redesign now has a place among the best we’ve seen in football. A design now associated with such success, Man City took a step back in history to redesign their 1974 look to create the badge that we see today.
As far as redesigns go in the Premier League, not many have done it better than Manchester City, which is proving to be the case for many other achievements.
1 Ajax (2025)
Recency bias can be argued here, but as things stand, Ajax’s redesign is refreshingly classy. A throwback to the crest that they used between 1928 and 1990, Ajax are celebrating their 125th anniversary next year in style. Ditching the red outline, the Dutch giants are set to return to the vintage and bolder look, perhaps in an attempt to return to their best on and off the pitch.
Club CEO Menno Geelen explained the decision, telling reporters (as relayed by FourFourTwo): “Ajax will celebrate its 125th anniversary on March 18. The celebrations will include the announcement of the return of the classic logo.
“We know that the majority of our fans have cherished this wish for years, and we felt that our 125th anniversary was the perfect moment to give back the classic logo to our fans and ourselves.”