Arsenal have confirmed that left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko will put on the quantity 17 shirt this coming season.
Zinchenko wore 35 for the primary three seasons of his Arsenal profession, having been handed the identical shirt throughout his time at Manchester Metropolis. However, at worldwide stage, he has nearly solely worn 17.
That jersey had belonged to Cedric Soares for the final 5 years, however the right-back’s departure firstly of this summer season has allowed Zinchenko to climb as much as his most well-liked quantity.
“The quantity 17 is a really particular quantity to me,” he informed membership media. “It was the quantity I wore as a younger participant, and I’ve all the time requested to put on 17 when enjoying for my nation. With 17 being free since Cedric left, I requested if I might change, and due to everybody on the membership for supporting me.
“It is also crucial to say that if anybody has purchased this season’s new shirt straight from the membership with my title and 35 on it, they’ll get an change to my new quantity.”
The 17 shirt isn’t one with a wealthy historical past at Arsenal. First claimed by Danish midfielder John Jensen in 1992, it could even be worn by each David Hillier and Emmanuel Petit earlier than the flip of the century.
Present sporting director Edu Gaspar took the 17 shirt in 2000 and stored it up till his departure to Valencia in 2005, after which Alex Tune made it his personal for seven years.
Nacho Monreal and Alexis Sanchez wore the shirt for 2 seasons every between 2012 and 2016, earlier than Alex Iwobi went one step additional and held on to it for 3 years. Cedric then took it in 2019.
Zinchenko has not worn the 17 at membership stage since his senior breakthrough in Russia with FC Ufa in 2015.
