Thierry Henry has already made his feelings clear on Arsenal 14 shirt as Viktor Gyokeres takes iconic squad number

Viktor Gyokeres could follow an Arsenal legend when he completes his much-anticipated move to the Gunners in the coming days.

A breakthrough has been reached for the Swedish striker after prolonged negotiations with Sporting, with Arsenal reported to be paying around £63 million including add-ons for Gyokeres. However, another report has claimed the total fee may be closer to £57 million, saving Arsenal some money and justifying their drawn-out talks with Sporting.

If all goes to plan, Gyokeres could be an Arsenal player by next week, where he would then fly out to Asia to join his new teammates for their final friendly against rivals Tottenham next week. Gunners fans will be keen to see how he slots in, and also what shirt number their new man will be wearing.

Gyokeres has worn number nine at Sporting. (Image: Getty)

Some clubs have issued temporary shirt numbers to new signings this summer, with Manchester City making clear that the numbers worn by Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders at the Club World Cup may not be their official squad numbers going forwards. Liverpool have also issued numbers in the fifties to their new signings ahead of the official numbers being confirmed before the start of the new season.

According to The Athletic, Gyokeres will have his Arsenal medical on Saturday and has chosen the iconic number 14 at the Emirates Stadium. That will see him follow in the footsteps of legend Thierry Henry, while Marcus Rashford has also taken Henry's number 14 at Barcelona.

Gyokeres could be an Arsenal player this weekend. (Image: Getty)

Henry has made it clear why he picked the number that has now become wedded to him thanks to his glorious spell at Highbury, however he admitted he would have preferred a different number when he signed in 1999.

Speaking to Cesc Fabregas in an Instagram Live back in 2020, Henry admitted that he would have preferred to wear number 12 after his idol Marco van Basten but it was already taken so he had to opt for a different number.

"I came back with number 12 [for his second spell in 2012], that’s my number actually. Fourteen is not my number," he admitted to the Spaniard. "I took the number 14 at Arsenal because Christopher Wreh had number 12, so I didn’t want to take it off him. That’s the reason, I didn’t want to take it off him. That’s why when I came back, number 12 because of Marco van Basten at Euro 88."

Thierry Henry wore 14 in his first Arsenal spell and 12 in his second. (Image: Getty)

Gyokeres to follow some Arsenal greats

If Gyokeres is confirmed as the number 14, he will follow some memorable Arsenal players in donning that shirt number.

The Swede wore the number previously during his brief stint at Swansea City in 2020/21 but has since worn 17 at Coventry and the No.9 shirt at Sporting over the last three years.

Before Henry, the shirt belonged to the likes of Kevin Campbell, Perry Groves and Martin Keown before Henry's long iconic stint from 1999 to 2007. Theo Walcott took the number for 10 years between 2008 and the 2017/18 campaign.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was next to wear 14 from that season through to 2021/22, before academy graduate Eddie Nketiah inherited it until he left permanently last summer. It has been vacant since.

Nketiah spoke about the weight of the number back in 2022 when he became the third player since Henry to wear it.

“The history he set, I wanted to take that number on,” he said. “Thierry was a great player but I’m just trying to create my own memories in that shirt, and have some things to look back on when my career is finished. I have immense pride in the shirt and I know what it means to the fans.

“I did have a couple of conversations with him as he’s at the stadium a lot, and he was delighted for me. He wishes me all the best and is always supporting me which is really nice to hear.

“[Being coached by Thierry] was my favourite year in the academy, definitely! It was so fun scoring goals and picking his brain day in, day out. Working with somebody of that standard, you can see the mentality that he has - when he joined in with training, he hates losing so much and that rubs off on you.

“Off the pitch, he’s such a cool guy. Sometimes I’d be talking to him and then go home and tell my friends that I’d just been chilling with Thierry and they thought I was lying! He’s a wonderful guy and I learnt so much working with him.”