A new Arsenal squad number was allocated on Thursday.
The Gunners unveiled their kit for the 2022-23 campaign and one of the players during the launch, Gabriel Martinelli, appears to have been given a new number.
Martinelli has won 35 on his back throughout this season for Arsenal.
However, the 20-year-old Brazilian sensation will be wearing the number 11 next terms, following in the footsteps of people like Marc Overmars, Robin van Persie and Mesut Ozil.
More recently, Lucas Torreira, on loan at Fiorentina, owned that number.
And the Uruguay international joked on Instagram. According to The Standard, he wrote: “What number will I wear next year?”
This appears to be relatively solid confirmation that the South American terrier won’t be returning to the Emirates Stadium for long this summer.
Earlier in the week it was reported that a permanent £12 million transfer to Fiorentina was in the pipeline.
If that figure is accurate, well Stan Kroenke is set for a pretty major big loss on the player.
Torreira, originally slated to leave the North Londoners in mid-May, had a brilliant first season at Arsenal under Unai Emery, so much so that the 26-year-old – who cost £27 million in 2018 – had a £45 million valuation a year later [The Sun].
So the fact that three years later, the Uruguayan midfielder’s value has dropped by £35 million is pretty staggering.
We don’t know what other new Arsenal squad number will be allocated during the off-season, but we can assume, with reasonable certainty, that Torreira isn’t getting one.
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