When football shirt numbers were first introduced by two Australian teams in 1911, nobody could have predicted the instrumental role they would play in the modern game.
Thinking back on any of the great moments in football, a player and shirt number will always spring to mind. Upcoming stars are now choosing numbers because of legends of the game and with a certain number on their back, any child could turn into their idols while playing in the garden.
Having said that, the importance of shirt numbers has undoubtedly diminished in the modern game and long gone are the years where the back four would line up with numbers 2,5,6,3 respectively.
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Out and out strikers have been known to wear low numbers, like Samuel Eto’o at Everton who seemed to be occupying the wrong end of the pitch to wear a number 5. Even Arsenal have been guilty of rogue kit numbers, Andre Santos wearing eleven is a prominent reminder.
Despite the value of squad numbers dyeing out, there is still one number at Arsenal that carries a weight far greater than any others, 14.
The number 14 shirt at Arsenal is as instrumental to the club’s history as the marble halls of Highbury. Ever since Thierry Henry first donned the number in 1999 it has become iconic for the Gunners and players lucky enough to wear 14 should acknowledge the significance that comes with it.
Henry’s legendary spell at the Gunners means that a player with 14 on his back should not only be an expected starter but a goal scorer, entertainer and most importantly, Arsenal through and through.
Theo Walcott was the first to be handed the honour in 2008. Although he is fairly well liked by Arsenal supporters, it is safe to say that the Englishman didn’t quite live up to expectations or the No.14 that was passed on to him.
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Following Walcott, came Aubameyang who for at least three seasons seemed to be the first man in over a decade deserving of Henry’s old number. However, as Arsenal fans painfully know, this didn’t quite end how it started.
Since the Arsenal and Aubameyang love affair ended in January of this year, the most important number at Arsenal football club has been left unattended. So, who deserves to be custodian of the Number 14 and will they live up to what is expected of them?
A new signing
Heading in to the 22/23 season, Arsenal are blessed with a crop of extremely promising youngsters – some of which would seem perfect for the number 14 honour. However, these players are already attached to numbers which are deemed significant. Saka has 7, Smith-Rowe 10, Odegaard 8 and Martinelli has just been appointed 11.
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Therefore, arguably the four best attacking options at Arsenal are all out of the question for the converted 14 kit. Left with few options in the team, it seems the most likely outcome will be giving the shirt to a new signing. After all, this is exactly what the Gunners did with Henry and later Aubameyang.
It is also clear that Arsenal are active in the transfer market for a new striker; so things make sense on a practical side. Then comes the question of whether Arsenal’s transfer targets are worthy of the number. A striker consistently linked with the Gunners is Gabriel Jesus and when looking at all the moving parts, it seems perfect for him to take the mantle of number 14 if he joins Mikel Arteta’s side.
Jesus is clearly an accomplished striker, with a high ceiling and a capability to score a lot of goals – so far fulfilling the criteria to wear 14. Aside from this however, it is known that Jesus is looking for more game time and to join a club with the promise of being their main man up front. What better confidence vote from Arsenal than to give the Brazilian the number 14.
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Gabriel Jesus has the potential to become one of the league’s best talents in front of goal and has just been starved of playing time and confidence in a brilliant Manchester City side. If he were to join Arsenal and be handed the number 14, it tells him and the rest of the league that Mikel Arteta trusts him and sees him as the Gunners leading man – a player wearing 14 should not warm the bench.
Arsenal have, of course, already made a signing , Brazilian teenager Marquinhos, who, as a forward could state his claim for the 14 jersey. However, it would be unfair to shoulder the responsibility on a 19 year old who has never played European football. His time with the number 14 could come, but it likely won’t be immediately.
Other attackers linked with Arsenal such as Dominic Calvert Lewin and Victor Oshimen could also be a good fit for Henry’s old number; but something about Jesus’ desire to be a leading premier league striker and the number 14 just seems to work.
Eddie Nketiah
With Alexandre Lacazette’s return to Lyon now official, it is clear that without any additional signings, Eddie Nketiah is Arsenal’s best striking option.
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The young Englishman hit the best form of his Arsenal career in the later stages of last season and really staked a claim to be the team’s leading striker heading into the 22/23 season.
He currently wears 30, so is in desperate need of an upgrade and 14 could be a great option. Nketiah is also someone who has been at the club for a long time so understands and appreciates the significance of being given the number and what it means to the supporters.
Despite Eddie Nketiah being a very good fit for the number 14, with Lacazette leaving, the number 9 is now available and with supporters still not convinced whether Eddie is the long-term future for Arsenal, 9 may be a safer bet than 14 and the pressure that comes with that.
Wait it out
The final option Arsenal has is to simply leave the number 14 available until the right player emerges.
Some would argue that giving a new signing the same number Henry wore would be too much pressure and it would be better for all parties if Arsenal didn’t rush. Instead, giving the number out when the time is right, and when a clear favourite emerges.
Going down this route is safer but equally an Arsenal squad without the number 14 in it does leave a rather large hole.
Although this option is definitely possible, with Arsenal being so openly on the hunt for a striker it is very likely that come the start of the 22/23 season, the iconic number 14 kit will have a new name written above it, and with that a new name in the history of the club.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah, Thierry Henry, Bukayo Saka