Arsenal have finally announced the signing of young Brazilian prospect, Marquinhos. The 19-year-old was signed from Sao Paulo FC and is expected to join up with his new teammates in pre-season before it is decided if he will be loaned out or not.
So what shirt number should we expect Arsenal's new signing to wear?
For Sao Paulo, Marquinhos wore the number 17. At Arsenal this number is taken by Cedric Soares, so the winger will have to find a new number to call his own.
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Gabriel Martinelli recently relinquished the number 35, which could be quite fitting for Marquinhos due to the similarities in the way both players found their way to North London. Martinelli has recently taken the number 11 at Arsenal and perhaps Marquinhos will hope he can follow in his fellow countryman's footsteps and become a key player for the Gunners.
Alternatively, perhaps Marquinhos could adopt the number 27 shirt. The shirt was worn by Serge Gnabry during his short time in the Arsenal first team and the young Brazilian would do amazingly to emulate the career of the German since. However Arsenal fans will be of course hoping should Marquinhos get to the heights Gnabry has, it is at Arsenal, rather than elsewhere.
Lower numbers are available in the squad, such as 12, 22, 23, likely 19 should Nicolas Pepe move on this summer, and even the renowned number 14, previously of Thierry Henry. However, these numbers will more than likely be saved for more established new signings this summer and Marquinhos will have to make a very strong impression in pre-season for a chance at any of them.
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Marquinhos will likely receive a number around the 30 mark and will hope to convert that into a lower one in the future for Arsenal by proving his talent in North London. Should the Brazilian's career take off, it is likely we will see him follow a similar path to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Emile Smith Rowe as the young Gunners have all embraced the club's more iconic numbers.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Arsenal, Transfers, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli