After his £35 million move to Liverpool was made official today, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's shirt number has been revealed.
Though the 24-year old was probably hoping for the No.8 worn by the legendary Steven Gerrard at Arsenal, Liverpool's club-record signing Naby Keita, who will join next summer, has taken on the former skipper's number.
And with the No.15 he wore in his six years at Arsenal currently occupied by his England colleague Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool have now confirmed that Oxlade-Chamberlain will wear the No.21 after his five-year contract was signed.
The No.21 does have a fair bit of significance for Reds fans given that former fan favourite Lucas Leiva wore it for ten years after signing in 2007. He left for Lazio earlier this summer, and now Chamberlain has been handed the very same shirt number he left vacant.
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Here's how fans reacted:
Liverpool's new signing taking on the No.21 was heavily rumoured earlier today after he was spotted in a Liverpool training kit, leading to Lucas himself reacting on Instagram.
Chamberlain, meanwhile, becomes Liverpool's fourth signing and had the following short message to say to Liverpool's official website after the deal was wrapped up:
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"I'm currently away with England, so I'm at St George's Park. Firstly, I'm delighted to have signed for Liverpool and a big thank-you to everyone here at the FA that has made this possible, using the facilities. It has been a massive help.
"I'm not going to say too much today; I'm here with England and we've got two big games coming up, so I want to focus on them. But I can't wait to get to Melwood and you'll hear first from me on LFCTV."
Thoughts on Chamberlain's move to Liverpool, and being handed a cult hero's shirt number?
Sound off in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: Liverpool FCTopics: Liverpool, Arsenal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
