When a new player arrives at a football club one of the first decisions they face is which number will they inherit?
The man that much of this is ultimately down to is Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman, who pioneered the idea of numbered strips in a match with Sheffield Wednesday back in 1928.
Now, a player’s number can be part of their identity, be it CR7, or R9. The next transfer window promises to be a busy one for Tottenham Hotspur, with a replacement for Christian Eriksen required, as well as further reinforcements likely to arrive from across Europe.
Whether that’s Samuel Umtiti or Nelson Semedo - linked with Spurs in a surprise swap deal with Tanguy Ndombele wanted by Barcelona - all will face the same decision, what squad number do I pick?
Semedo started his senior career wearing number 50 at Benfica, and when he moved to Barcelona he opted to switch to the number two.
Both of those numbers are available at Spurs right now, and if he was to choose the number two, Semedo would follow in the footsteps of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, and Clint Dempsey. The number 50 has a slightly smaller history of attachment, with only youngster Kaziah Sterling associated with it.
Umtiti has had a slightly more varied career in terms of numbers. The defender was wearing the number 23 when he scored his outrageous goal at White Hart Lane, and he carried that with him to Barcelona. He wore 43 for Lyon’s B-team, and also tried the number five while playing for the French side.
A change may seem inevitable for Umtiti, with the number 23 being worn by new-signing Steven Bergwijn. Jan Vertonghen’s future is uncertain, with his contract due to expire this summer, and if the Belgian does leave the club Umtiti may inherit his number 5 shirt.
At present there are a variety of squad numbers available at Tottenham, with 2, 3, 9, 12, 14, 16, and 25 all unused.
