As the details of Viktor Gyökeres’s impending arrival at Arsenal begin to emerge, it has been reported that the Swedish striker will take on the burden of the club’s No. 14 shirt.
Arsenal’s quest to sign Gyökeres has veered on the fringes of farcical in recent weeks. Negotiations with Sporting CP have seemingly been conducted in the public eye, with each twist and turn rapidly leaked to the press in between explosive outbursts from the Portuguese champions’ president, Frederico Varandas.
Personal terms with the player were wrapped up quickly enough and even the broad structure of a transfer fee was settled. The extensive delays appear to revolve around the precise nature of what Gyökeres would have to do trigger the add-ons included in a deal which is thought to be worth an initial €63.5million (£55.2 million, $74.7 million) plus a further €10 million (£8.7 million, $11.8 million) in bonuses.
The end is nigh. Arsenal have reportedly been forced to accept more easily achievable clauses to finally reach a full agreement. Gyökeres is set to undergo his medical on Saturday and has already been earmarked for the signature No. 14 shirt, according to The Athletic.
Arsenal’s No. 14 Shirt in 21st Century
Stats via Transfermarkt.
Arsenal’s club record goalscorer Thierry Henry is the iconic former occupant of those particular digits. During his legendary first spell in north London, the Frenchman racked up an unrivalled 226 goals with the 14 draped across his back. However, Henry had initially wanted the No. 12 when he signed for Arsenal in 1999, continuing the habit he had formed at Monaco and with the France national team.
The shirt’s then-wearer, Christopher Wreh, wasn’t for budging and so Henry reluctantly took on 14. When he returned to Arsenal for a brief two-month loan spell in 2012, Henry got the chance to wear No. 12 as Theo Walcott had inherited the famous digits.
The impact of wearing 14 didn’t immediately resonate with Arsenal’s jet-heeled winger. “I’m not superstitious and I didn’t really think of the relevance,” he told talkSPORT in 2021. “Then suddenly I thought, ‘S---, I’ve taken Thierry’s number’.”
Walcott finished his Arsenal career with more than a century of goals although failed to hit the heights that his prodigious talent once promised, starting a trend of diminishing returns when it comes to the club’s post-Henry 14s.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started brightly in north London before sheepishly sloping out of the club’s back door as the loser in a battle of wills with manager Mikel Arteta. Eddie Nketiah never scored more than five league goals in a single campaign for the Gunners regardless of the digits on his back.
The pressure of living up to Henry’s legacy is just another burden for Gyökeres to bear as he arrives already billed as the final piece of Arsenal’s quest for Premier League glory.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Set to Hand Viktor Gyokeres ‘Iconic’ Shirt Number As Medical Planned.