Chelsea have announced the squad numbers for the new season, and honestly, a few of the changes caught my attention.
The biggest one for me is João Pedro taking the No. 9 shirt. That number comes with plenty of pressure at Chelsea, because some of the fan believe the number has been cursed but if he can settle quickly and start scoring consistently, I think he could make it his own and change people's perspective.
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What surprised me more is Liam Delap losing the No. 9 and moving to No. 12. Delap only joined Chelsea recently, so seeing the shirt taken away already is definitely interesting. It naturally makes you wonder what the club has in mind for him, especially with reports of interest from Como.
Chelsea reportedly value Delap at around £50m, but personally, I would not be too quick to give up on him. He has not had enough time to properly prove himself yet. Sometimes a striker just needs a proper run of games and confidence before everything starts clicking.
Then there's Tosin Adarabioyo. He was No. 4 last season but will now wear No. 38, with new signing Valentin Barco taking the No. 4 shirt which is understandable, since Tosin is among the outgoing players.
Again, it's a small change on paper, but with Aston Villa reportedly looking at Tosin as a possible replacement for Ezri Konsa, it adds another interesting layer to the situation.
The good news for me is that Nicolas Jackson keeps the No. 15, despite all the transfer rumours surrounding him. Enzo Fernández also keeps his No. 8, which should hopefully mean stability for one of the key players in midfield.
For me, shirt numbers don't decide a player's future, but they can sometimes give us a little clue about how the squad is being reshaped.
And João Pedro wearing No. 9?
Now the pressure is on. 😅💙
But let's wait and see the outcome..
Posted Using INLEO
