LONDON, England (CNN) -- These are tense times for the English Premier League. Going sponsorless: The 2008/2009 football season has seen numerous issues with shirt sponsors. The cause of the tension isn't the battle between the leading title contenders on the pitch; instead it's the waiting to see what impact the international financial crisis will have off the field. Outside of television rights packages, one of the major strands of income for football clubs is various sponsorship deals; and as big companies hit by the financial crisis have either folded or slashed spending budgets -- these agreements have come under serious threat.
@highlight
International financial crisis means big sponsors are reviewing their activities
@highlight
Barclays bank is set to review its sponsorship of the English Premier League
@highlight
West Ham was a high-profile victim of the crisis when it lost short sponsor XL
@highlight
Sports business experts say that football clubs will survive the financial crisis
In September, @placeholder side West Ham United lost their shirt-sponsor in a high-profile collapse which left the team wearing temporary covers on the front of their playing kits.