Arsenal shirt numbers available to Christos Tzolis after £34m agreement reached

Arsenal are in the process of finalising a deal for Club Brugge star Christos Tzolis, who is expected to become the Gunners' second signing of the summer.

The North Londoners kicked their transfer window off by signing goalkeeper Illan Meslier for free from Leeds earlier this month. Despite intense links to the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Morgan Rogers continuing to surface in the media, few concrete developments have emerged regarding these big-money moves.

However, a more modest deal for Tzolis is now set to be confirmed, with David Ornstein revealing on Thursday that all that stands in the way of this transfer materialising is formalities.

The Greek international arrives in N5 with a good pedigree, having scored 23 goals and provided 29 assists across all competitions last term. He's expected to replace Leandro Trossard in Arsenal's squad, and the deal could be completed by the start of next week.

What shirt number could Christos Tzolis pick at Arsenal?

With the deal now essentially subject to a medical and paperwork being completed, excitement and fanfare around the signing is likely to start growing. A key facet behind fan elation for all signings is picturing the player in the red and white shirt, and part of this is envisaging which number they'll don on the back of this jersey at the Emirates.

Tzolis has several numbers he can pick from, although the traditional left-winger number, eleven, is currently taken by Gabriel Martinelli. While the Brazilian could leave North London this summer, a deal doesn't seem to be imminent on this front, likely meaning Tzolis will need to settle for an alternative number.

The 24-year-old has worn several different numbers throughout his career already, including seven, eight, eleven, 16, 18, 19 and 68.

Wearing eight at Brugge, an unconventional number for a winger which has given him a distinct look, this isn't an option as it's taken by captain Martin Odegaard at Arsenal at the moment. He's unlikely to take this shirt off the Norwegian any time soon.

Seven is taken by Bukayo Saka, although both 18 and 19 are available for Tzolis, if he feels any sort of connection to these numbers, which he may do, having worn them at Norwich and Twente, respectively. 18 has been vacant since Takehiro Tomiyasu left the club last summer, while 19 has just become available after Trossard's depature.

If he wants to capture the hearts of Arsenal supporters mourning the loss of Trossard, then taking the Belgian's number from the outset could be a smart idea.

Elsewhere, numbers 15 and 17 are available, both of which have been held by talented Arsenal attackers in the past, such as Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez.

Under 30, notable vacant numbers include 25, most recently worn by Mohamed Elneny, and 28, not worn since Joe Willock's exit in 2021.

Here are the options available to Tzolis at Arsenal: 15, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 34, 37, 38, 39, many more over 40

Verdict: 19. Arsenal fans are currently reminiscing about Trossard's heroic moments in North London. Tzolis can get them immediately on side by wearing the clutch left-winger's shirt. Given how similarly the two players look on the pitch, supporters may not even notice that there's been a changing of the guard.

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