Thomas Partey to get new Arsenal shirt number | OneFootball

Thomas Partey will reportedly change his shirt number from 18 to his preferred option for the new season.

According to a journalist from Ghana, Thomas Partey will swap out his 18 for the 5 shirt for the new season, returning to a favourite number of his that was not available when he first arrived at the club.

Partey wore the number 5 shirt at Atletico Madrid. At Arsenal, that was on the back of Sokratis when Partey arrived. Even though the club were trying to get Sokratis out the door on the same day Partey arrived, there was the possibility Partey could have been given the shirt he clearly wanted, but it stayed with Sokratis on the sidelines.

Partey might have asked for the 22, the number he wore at Atletico for three seasons before he went back to the five, but he couldn’t have that one, either, as Pablo Mari was not using it at the time, sidelined with his injury problems.

18 was the first number available at Arsenal and that’s the one Thomas took, but now he has the chance to move to a proper first-team squad number.

Arsenal shirt numbers currently free

Within the first 25 squad numbers, there are currently eight numbers that have no owners, five of them from the first XI.

In addition to the numbers that are already available, there are a few that could free up if transfers go ahead as rumoured

Arsenal shirt numbers that could become free

Looking at both those lists combined, Arsenal could well see a new name on seven of the first XI squad numbers for the new season.