Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are edging closer to moves to Arsenal, according to reports, so which shirt numbers are available for the pair if they do finally sign?
In recent weeks, Arsenal have opened up a few new shirt numbers with a couple of sales.
Let’s have a look at which ones they’re most likely to take, based on their respective histories, and the numbers definitely unavailable.
2Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Excluding his youth career with Armenia, where he tried out nine, 11 and 17, Mkhitaryan has also used four different numbers.
Mkhitaryan used number 10 at the start of his international career and at Dortmund. He’ll have to join the queue of players at Arsenal waiting for it though. As mentioned, Wilshere has it at the moment, and Özil has never kept his interest secret.
For the remainder of his international career, the 28-year-old has used 18. Nacho Monreal is Arsenal’s number 18 right now.
At the start of his club career, Mkhitaryan had 35, which is Mohamed Elneny’s Arsenal number. He only used it for half a season, so I don’t think there’s any special attachment there.
For the rest of his club career (excluding Dortmund), Mkhitaryan has been number 22. That is his number at Manchester United, and was his number at FC Pyunik Erewan, Metalurh Donetsk and Shakhtar Donetsk as well. Again, it’s not available at Arsenal, as Jeff Reine-Adelaide has it.
Reine-Adelaide could move to a new number, as a young player who’s hardly worn 22 anyway. Alternatively, Mkhitaryan could take the number of the player he’s swapping clubs with, Alexis Sanchez.
It’s not one he’s had before, but it fits quite nicely in my opinion.
Prediction: I’d go with number seven. 22 is also a strong possibility, given Reine-Adelaide is still with the u23s.