Arsenal and West Ham have agreed a fee for Declan Rice and, with no other teams trying to sign him, it seems a matter of time before he moves across London, so what shirt number will he get if he does sign?
According to a report in The S*n, West Ham have stopped selling Declan Rice’s shirt as his record-breaking move to Arsenal gets closer.
With the clubs working out payment terms and personal terms already agreed with the player, Rice should be lining up for Arsenal for pre-season.
Declan Rice shirt number
Rice currently wears the number 41 with West Ham.
Starting from the 2015/16 season, Rice played for West Ham United U21 and U18, where he wore multiple shirt numbers – 5, 6, 12, 16, and 68.
In the 2016/17 season, he rotated between the numbers 5, 6, and 41 for West Ham United U21, and also wore the number 6 for the U18 team.
He also wore the number 41 for the West Ham United main team for the first time.
Since the 2017/18 season, Rice has consistently used the number 41 shirt for the West Ham United main team, a number that has now become synonymous with him.
Interestingly, during the 2017/18 season, he also wore the number 6 for the U21 team along with his regular number 41.
The number 41 has never been used by a player from the Arsenal first team.
Players who have previously worn the number 41 include: Mauro Bandeira (22/23), Ben Cottrell (20/21), Robbie Burton (19/20), Josh Dasilva (16/17), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (10/11), Gavin Hoyte (08/09), Joe O’Cearuill (06/07), Arturo Lupoli (05/06), Chris Wright (04/05), and Craig Holloway (02/03).
Bandeira, however, has moved to 40 for the new season.
In terms of first team squad numbers that are available 2, 13, 17, and 23 are currently free.
Ben White currently sports the 4, which is usually a midfielder’s number. He could theoretically move to 2 allowing Rice to take 4, but it looks as if Rice may opt to keep the 41, just as Kai Havertz kept his 29.
Thomas Partey is also being linked with a move away which would free up his number 5 shirt which could well go to Jurrien Timber when he finally signs.
Rice has also previously spoken of his desire to keep the number 41 shirt should he leave West Ham.
“To be honest with you, I’ve been having this conversation with my Dad, regardless of what happens in my career, I think I might stay with the 41,” he told Gary Neville on The Overlap.
“I don’t know, I just think Rice 41 has a nice ring to it, obviously, I’ve grown up playing in it. I’m a bit superstitious with things like that, I don’t know if I change to a new number it would hamper my performances, I don’t know I just think sometimes about a couple things like that.”