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After a drawn-out summer of confusion, Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United and joined fellow Premier League side Chelsea – and, upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge, the Argentine winger, 21, has adopted a number that only four players have worn for the west London outfit in the past.
Exiled under Ruben Amorim as part of the five-man bomb squad at Old Trafford, Garnacho sought a move away throughout the entire summer. Moving to Chelsea remained his preference from start to finish – and the youngster finally got his wish in the final days of the window.
Joining on a five-year deal for a fee around the £40 million mark, Garnacho – born and raised in the Spanish capital of Madrid – will have to wait until after the international break to make his debut for the club. For now, his shirt number has been revealed.
Alejandro Garnacho's Chelsea Number Revealed Ahead of Potential Debut v Brentford
alejandro garnacho
Although the 21-year-old will be relieved that his future has been resolved after not featuring in any of United's pre-season fixtures nor the start of the 2025/26 campaign, he will have to wait until after the international break to get his first taste of minutes under Maresca's stewardship.
Brentford (A), Bayern Munich (A) and Manchester United (A) are up next for the Blues – with the former looking to be his debut for his new employers and the latter teeing up to be a tasty affair. But what number will the ex-Atletico Madrid academy star wear?
It has been confirmed by Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea that summer addition Garnacho – widely regarded as one of the best young players in world football – will wear the No.49 shirt. The club, in announcing his new shirt number, wrote:
“The Argentine international began training at Cobham this week and could make his debut when we make the short trip to Brentford on Saturday 13 September. And if Garnacho is handed his Chelsea bow at Gtech Community Stadium, he will do so wearing the No.49 shirt.”
For those of an Old Trafford persuasion, it will not come as a shock given that No.49 is what he wore during his first two seasons at the club. In the 2023/24 campaign, he then switched to No.17; there was the expectation that he'd take over the iconic No.7 – but that was taken by Mason Mount.
From a Chelsea perspective, it is far from an iconic shirt number. In fact, as alluded to, only four player in the club's entire history – Scott Sinclair (06/07), John Swift (13/14) Jimi Tauriainen (23/24) and Richard Olise (24/25) – have adopted the far-from-usual number.