It’s not yet done, but it’s close, and when Jamie Vardy finally signs for Arsenal, there will be only one shirt number he’s going to get* – Arsenal’s number 9!

Currently sporting that number for Leicester, it just so happens that the shirt has been vacant since Lukas Podolski was sold at the end of the 14/15 season. Handy, eh?

vardy shirt 9

To be fair, in recent years, the Arsenal number 9 shirt has been worn by some seriously dodgy signings. Only Eduardo, really, brought pride to the shirt in the last 16 years and made us think about it in the way a 9 should be thought of.

Park Chu-Young, Julio Baptista, Jose Antonio-Reyes, Francis Jeffers and Davor Suker have all donned the sacred shirt this century.

vardy shorts9

Before them came Nicolas Anelka, Paul Merson, and Alan Smith in the history of Arsenal number 9s in the Premier League.

No matter what you think of Vardy, there’s no denying he is an out-and-out number 9.

No other number would be right for him.

vardy training9

Hopefully he can outdo the last five in terms of goals scored in their first seasons.

To be fair, he only needs one to do better than Park.

vardy training9-2

Goals scored in first season wearing #9:

  • Lukas Podolski 16
  • Park Chu-Young 0
  • Julio Baptista 10
  • Jose Antonio-Reyes 5
  • Francis Jeffers 2

*he could get another number, but it seems unlikely.