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Arsenal confirm squad numbers for new campaign
By Tom Humphrey
Arsenal have confirmed their squad numbers for the new season ahead of their game with Sunderland tomorrow. Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla had yet to be given their new numbers after arriving at the club this summer and some numbers have changed given some departures at the club.
The changes are as follows:
Olivier Giroud will wear no.12 as was confirmed a couple of weeks back by the club. Lukas Podolski has taken the number 9 shirt from South Korean striker Park Chu-Young. This means that Park will now wear the number 30 shirt, previously worn by Yossi Benayoun. Santi Cazorla gets the number 19 shirt, which is because Jack Wilshere has taken Robin Van Persie’s old number 10. Cazorla will have the printing S.Cazorla on his shirt next year.
The other changes that were also revealed by the club a while back are Wojciech Szczesny getting the number 1 jersey previously worn by Manuel Almunia, who joined Watford for free this summer and Francis Coquelin received the number 22 shirt having worn no.39 the year before.
The squad numbers are as follows:
1. Wojciech Szczesny
2. Abou Diaby
3. Bacary Sagna
4. Per Mertesacker
5. Thomas Vermaelen (captain)
6. Laurent Koscielny
7. Tomas Rosicky
8. Mikel Arteta (Vice-Captain)
9. Lukas Podolski
10. Jack Wilshere
11. Andre Santos
12. Olivier Giroud
14. Theo Walcott
15. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
16. Aaron Ramsey
17. Alex Song
18. Sebastian Squillaci
19. Santi Cazorla
20. Johan Djourou
21. Lukasz Fabianski
22. Francis Coquelin
23. Andrei Arshavin
24. Vito Mannone
25. Carl Jenkinson
26. Emmanuel Frimpong
27. Gervinho
28. Kieran Gibbs
29. Marouane Chamakh
30. Park Chu-Young
52. Nicklas Bendtner
Arsenal have also told fans that they will replace people’s shirt printings of Wilshere 19′ and ‘Park 9’ with their new numbers and give the returned kits to worthy causes via the Arsenal foundation.
Jack Wilshere described receiving the number 10 shirt as an honour. He said the following:
“It’s such an honour for me,” he told Arsenal.com. “Getting the No 10 shirt again at the Club means so much to me as I wore it all through the youth teams at Arsenal.
“It has a special place for all attacking or creative players. I feel proud to wear it now after some real Club legends have worn it, such as Dennis Bergkamp.
The final part about Bergkamp may have been a parting shot at Robin Van Persie. Either way, Jack is correct. William Gallas certainly isn’t an Arsenal legend and Robin Van Persie could have been, but isn’t. Dennis Bergkamp is the last legend to wear the number 10 at Arsenal and hopefully Wilshere can become as big of a legend at Arsenal as he is.