Transfer Centre

Shirt numbers available to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Chelsea

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 23 April 2020

Sports Mole looks at which shirt numbers could be available for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Chelsea amid speculation linking him with a move to Stamford Bridge.

The future of Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been the subject of speculation for months now, with the Gunners facing a decision whether to cash in on their star man this summer or risk losing him for free when his contract expires in 2021.

Of course, the preferred choice would be to tie Aubameyang down to a new deal, but reports suggest that they are unwilling - or perhaps unable - to give in to his wage demands.

A host of clubs including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona have been credited with an interest in the Gabon international, who has scored 61 goals in just 97 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions.

The most recent reports suggest that Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea are now also exploring the possibility of poaching the prolific striker as they look to bolster their attacking options.

Here, Sports Mole looks at which shirt numbers would be available should Aubameyang make the short trip across London.

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pictured in Europa League action in February 2020

Aubameyang has no clear favoured number, wearing six different ones throughout his senior career - currently the famed number 14 shirt at Arsenal.

Thierry Henry is the most famous predecessor of that shirt at the Emirates Stadium, but Aubameyang has admitted that he did not originally want to follow in the footsteps of the Frenchman - rather he wanted the number seven he wore for two seasons at Saint-Etienne.

Unfortunately for Aubameyang, the number seven shirt was taken by his former Borussia Dortmund teammate Henrikh Mkhitaryan then, and it is also currently occupied by N'Golo Kante at Stamford Bridge.

The Gabon international is unlikely to usurp Kante unless the latter is sold - Real Madrid are thought to be interested, incidentally - which means that he could once again be forced to settle for the vacant number 14 last worn by Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sees red on January 11, 2020 © Reuters

Aubameyang does have other options, though; he wore the number 11 shirt at Lille and Monaco earlier in his career and that looks set to be available when the transfer window reopens, with the incumbent Pedro leaving when his contract expires.

The 2018-19 joint-Golden Boot winner also wore the number 41 when he broke through at AC Milan, and that is unsurprisingly vacant at Chelsea as things stand too.

It is unlikely that Aubameyang will sink that low down the shirt number list again, although the other two jerseys he wore before - number nine at Dijon and Saint-Etienne and number 17 throughout his prolific Dortmund spell - are currently occupied by Tammy Abraham and Mateo Kovacic respectively.

Another option could be the number 10 jersey, though, which is often bestowed upon the club's most important attacker but is a shirt number which Aubameyang has never worn before in his club career.

Willian is the current holder of that one since Eden Hazard's exit, but his contract is due to expire at the end of this season and he has admitted that an extension looks difficult at this stage.