Aleksandr Golovin is thought to be closing in on a move to Chelsea – but what shirt number could he wear at Stamford Bridge?
The player’s mother has confirmed that talks with the Blues are at an advanced stage. It seems likely that the deal will go through once Russia are knocked out of the World Cup.
Golovin is set to be Chelsea’s first signing of the summer – we dearly hope he’s the first of many. One positive of being the first through the door is that he’ll have his pick of the shirt numbers.
Shirt numbers may seem trivial to some, but they fast become iconic, a figure associated with the brilliance of any particular player, a la the number 25 shirt that Gianfranco Zola donned during his time as a Blue.
When Golovin first broke through at CSKA Moscow, he wore the number 60 shirt. In 2015/16, he changed to number 17, a number he has worn since both for club and country.
The number 17 shirt was previously worn by Charly Musonda. Despite the termination of his 18-month loan to Celtic, it’s unlikely that the Belgian will be sticking around next term.
We believe that Golovin will wear his favoured number 17 shirt after signing along the dotted line with the club. He’ll feel at home right away!