Arsenal have announced that Granit Xhaka will wear the No.16 shirt next season, succeeding Aaron Ramsey.
The Welsh midfielder has moved to take newly retired Mikel Arteta’s No.8 shirt leaving his previous number vacant for Arsenal’s third most-expensive signing.
His new number comes as something of a surprise to the sort of people who follow shirt numbering, with the assumption among many supporters having been that Xhaka would take Francis Coquelin’s No.34, the number he has worn throughout his club career.
Xhaka has the number tattooed on to his back and joked in January that he had already made arrangements for his new shirt number, over four months before he arrived in a £34million deal.
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"That was my first professional number at Basel," Xhaka said. "It's even tattooed on my back. I would also like to wear it in the future.
“At Arsenal Coquelin has it. I've spoken with him, he would like to take another number!”
It appears the Frenchman got his way on this occasion.
