Why Mkhitaryan Will Have Two Kit Numbers At Arsenal
Reuters / Maxim Shemetov
The rather prolonged saga of the swap deal between Arsenal and United is finally over, and has settled down by now.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alexis Sanchez have taken each other’s roles at opposite clubs, and coincidentally, the two have swapped their shirt numbers too.
Both clubs have a prestigious history to their No. 7 jersey, with the likes of Robert Pires, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, David Rocastle, and many more sporting the number for the two teams throughout the decades.
WATCH: Players Reaction To Sanchez & Mkhitaryan’s Move
https://youtu.be/65_HG2RmTQ0
However, it seems like the Armenian’s case is quite different, as he will be given two kit numbers for the ongoing season due to UEFA regulations.
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The latest statement from the club read [via Arsenal.com]:
“The No 7 shirt was vacated by Alexis this month but, because our former forward wore the number during our group-stage win against Cologne back in September, UEFA rules state that Mkhitaryan must wear a different number for the remainder of our Europa League campaign. This number will be confirmed soon.”
Sanchez played a full 90-minute match back in September against Köln, whilst also scoring a delightful goal.
But due to the restriction imposed by UEFA, the Chilean’s number cannot to used by another player for the rest of the Londoners’ European journey this season, since he was already registered under No. 7.
Nevertheless, that will hardly pose a threat to the new arrival’s performances or form, nor will it change his new number in league fixtures.
Written by Ashish Sreejith 
Have had two addictions in life- playing football and watching football. Usually described as introverted but not when it comes to speaking and writing about the beautiful game of football.