Gabriel Martinelli wants to take over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s No.14 shirt at Arsenal following the striker’s move to Barcelona.
Aubameyang sealed his move to Camp Nou in the final hours of the January transfer window after a major fall out with Mikel Arteta.
The 32-year-old was stripped of the captaincy in December following a series of disciplinary breaches and did not feature again for Arsenal following Arteta’s decision.
Martinelli, meanwhile, has impressed for the Gunners this season, with the 20-year-old scoring four goals so far.
The Brazilian forward is still wearing the No.35 shirt he was given after joining Arsenal in 2019.
But according to The Sun, Martinelli now his eye on taking over Arsenal’s iconic No.14 jersey now that Aubameyang has departed.
Premier League rules prevent Martinelli from taking over the number immediately but once the season is over Arsenal could allow the switch.
In an interview last year, Martinelli made it clear that he was keen to wear the No.14, which was worn by club legend Thierry Henry.
‘Of course, Auba plays in my position but I look to him every day, in training, to learn as much as I can from him, he’s also a great guy off the pitch,’ Martinelli told ESPN.
‘I want to follow in Aubameyang’s footsteps.
‘He’s a captain, he wears the No.14 shirt, that is a symbol for this club and of course, I hope to be very successful at Arsenal.’
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