Thomas Partey will wear a different shirt number at Arsenal next season and the Gunners will hope he will hit top form and show why they spent so much to sign him.
The Ghanaian wore the number 18 shirt last season, but he is now expected to switch to the number 5 shirt, which he claims is his lucky number.
Partey showed what he can do with some fine performances last season, but he wasn’t consistent enough, no thanks to the many injuries he had.
The midfielder was one of the best in Europe when he played for Atletico Madrid and he would now hope to show his best skills for the Gunners next season.
The club knows that they have to give him everything he needs to succeed at the Emirates and they have now agreed to allow him to switch numbers.
The likes of Steve Bould, Kolo Toure and Thomas Vermaelen have worn the number 5 previously at Arsenal.
The last player to wear the number was Greek defender, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who spent two-and-half years at the Emirates.
Thomas said to the club’s website: “I like the No 5 because it’s one of the most important numbers in the team and it is also a lucky number for me. It’s the number I’ve worn for the past few years, so for me it’s one of the best numbers.”