Arsenal confirm Super Eagles target's shirt number for 2026-27 season amid exit talk
Premier League champions Arsenal have confirmed Ethan Nwaneri's shirt number for the 2026-27 season amid speculation linking the attacking midfielder with a departure from the Emirates Stadium before the close of the summer transfer window.
Nwaneri was left out of the Gunners' first competitive game of the new season, a 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield this past weekend.
The Hale End Academy graduate has been assigned the number 22 shirt, the same number he wore during the first half of last season before joining Marseille on loan.
When he made his senior debut against Brentford in September 2022, Nwaneri wore the number 83 shirt before being allocated number 63 the following season.
The England U21 international of Nigerian descent wore number 53 during the 2024-25 season before switching to number 22 last term.
Although manager Mikel Arteta recently played down speculation linking Nwaneri with a summer exit, the dual-national player is expected to leave the London club in the coming days.
The talented teenager is on the radar of the Nigeria Football Federation and the Super Eagles coaching staff, with manager Eric Chelle running the rule over him during a Coupe de France clash between Marseille and Rennes in February.
Alex Iwobi's former Arsenal squad number, 17, has been handed to summer arrival Christos Tzolis, while number 25, made famous in Nigeria by Super Eagles legend Nwankwo Kanu, is vacant.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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