It's that time of the year when excitement builds for next season's new kits and Arsenal supporters are no different.
Whilst the Gunners' home shirt for the 2023/24 campaign is yet to be officially unveiled, there have been several 'leaks' of it in recent weeks, with images emerging on social media showing a mannequin wearing what looks to be the brand new strip on sale in a shop in Indonesia.
Now, an image of Arsenal defender William Saliba presenting a fan with the new home kit emerged on Reddit last week as the Frenchman spent some time in Cameroon with his season effectively over, having not played since sustaining a back injury during the Europa League exit at the hands of Sporting CP in March.
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Interestingly, the shirt had Saliba's name and number on the back and perhaps, this is the 22-year-old's way of 'revealing' that he won't be changing his squad number for next season which would be somewhat of a surprise given the circumstances with regard what appeared to be his favoured shirt number.
Upon reporting for pre-season training back in July, the Frenchman seemingly confirmed that he would be wearing the No.2 shirt for the 2022/23 campaign. However, this particular squad number technically was not available before Arsenal faced Crystal Palace in the Premier League opener on August 5.
And, as per Premier League rules, because he strutted out at Selhurst Park wearing No.12, he can not change his squad number until next season: 'While he remains with the Club a Player will retain his shirt number throughout the Season for which it was allocated,' a statement reads.
Significantly for Saliba, the Arsenal No.2 shirt became vacant on transfer deadline day last summer when Hector Bellerin sealed a permanent move to Barcelona and it remains up for grabs with Jakub Kiwior, Leandro Trossard and Jorginho choosing numbers 15, 19 and 20, respectively, after joining the club in January.
So with no indication that the No.2 shirt will be handed to another player, a change was seemingly on the cards for Saliba heading into the 2023/24 campaign but following the 'leaked' images of next season's home kit, it could be that he's opting to stick with No.12 for another year.
With that said, a minor - yet potentially crucial detail - should be pointed out. Upon a closer look at the aforementioned shirt, it reads 'W. Saliba' on the back but 'Saliba' is what has read on the back of his Arsenal shirt all season, so it could simply be a case of not reading too much into the image.
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