Arsenal: Thomas Partey to wear number 5 next season

When Thomas Partey joined Arsenal on deadline day in the previous summer transfer window, as exciting as the move was, when that died down the strangely important, but also not important at all, topic of his shirt number arose.

Does it really matter what number a player wears? Well, it sort of does. When Theo Walcott took Thierry Henry’s legendary No. 14 it meant a great deal, Bukayo Saka being handed the No. 7 too, just like Mesut Ozil switching from No. 11 to No. 10. Nicklas Bendtner from No. 26 to 52? Huge news!

The numbers are part of footballing folklore and every team in the world has iconic players who’ve become synonymous with their specific digit. In the grand scheme of things it makes zero difference to how they perform – but it can mean a lot to the players, too.

In the case of Thomas Partey, he become known for being Atletico Madrid’s No. 5. Upon moving to Arsenal he was stopped short from being able to choose it due to it being attached to Sokratis, despite the Greek defender not being in the manager’s plans.

Thomas Partey to wear number 5 at Arsenal next season with the number 11 and number 10 also free to select after Mesut Ozil and Lucas Torreira departures

As more players look set to walk through the doors at Arsenal this summer, from goalkeepers to potential strikers, there will be a few numbers up for grabs.

The number 5, however, is Partey’s.

As per football.london, the Ghanaian is ‘very likely’ to change from his current No. 18 to his favoured No. 5, news that has been highlighted by journalists from Ghana.

More numbers will be up for grabs for new players too, some of which are quite important ones for certain stars. With Ozil’s No. 10 – a big number in north London – due to be freed up, there are growing calls for Emile Smith Rowe to be handed that shirt instead of the current No. 32 he has, as he closes in on signing a new contract.

No. 11 is also fairly significant at Arsenal and not been in use due to Lucas Torreira officially still laying claim to it despite spending the season on loan away at Atletico. If Smith Rowe is given Ozil’s number, there will be strong arguments for Gabriel Martinelli to inherit the one his South American colleague leaves behind.

Closing in on a move to Lazio, it’s about time Martinelli was able to ditch No. 35.

Dani Ceballos departure also frees up the No. 8, which should 100% be handed to Mohamed Elneny given he is the highest scoring central midfielder at the club. That would be brilliant. Funny, at least. Also definitely joking.

Shkodran Mustafi’s No. 20 is vacant (Ben White maybe?) as is David Luiz’s No. 23, with change afoot as far as the kit man is concerned at Arsenal.