Noni Madueke, the England winger, may be handed a shirt number at Arsenal that hasn’t exactly brought much fortune to its recent wearers.
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Once the move is finalized, he’ll join forces with fellow England international Bukayo Saka, as Mikel Arteta looks to inject fresh energy into an attack that’s been plagued by injuries.
However, Madueke might inherit a jersey number that hasn’t yielded much success in recent seasons.
Over the years, he’s sported several different numbers—starting with 56 at PSV before switching to 23, which is currently worn by Mikel Merino.
At Chelsea, he briefly wore 31 but was most often seen in the number 11 shirt, now occupied by Gabriel Martinelli at Arsenal.
One available option at Arsenal is the number 10 shirt, which Madueke wore during his final season in Eindhoven and could reclaim in North London.
While traditionally a prestigious number, it hasn’t brought much luck to its recent holders at Arsenal.
Emile Smith Rowe, who took over the number from Mesut Özil in 2021, managed just 11 goals before injuries derailed his progress and led to a transfer to Fulham in 2024.
Özil himself didn’t fare much better, contributing only 13 goal involvements in 58 appearances after switching from 11 to 10 during the twilight of his Arsenal career.
Madueke, however, will be hoping to channel the legacy of Dennis Bergkamp, the Dutch icon who made the number 10 shirt legendary during his time at the club.
