Man City have a shirt number opportunity if Raheem Sterling joins Chelsea

Gabriel Jesus has already been pictured wearing an Arsenal shirt as his transfer from Manchester City draws closer.

Not only did the 'leaked' footage of Jesus being announced at the Emirates Stadium excite plenty of Arsenal fans, but it was also effective confirmation that the striker will wear the number nine shirt at his new club after vacating the same number at City.

Back at the Etihad, Jesus' departure solves a minor problem for City as Erling Haaland looks to be the natural successor of that number nine shirt. If Raheem Sterling joins Chelsea, though, who would wear the number seven shirt?

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One bookmaker has suspended betting on Sterling to join Chelsea, with their new owner, Todd Boehly, contacting City this week to see if the England international would be available.

It's a transfer that could well happen, especially if Sterling sees his game time limited at City after the signings of Haaland and Julian Alvarez. He would be missed more than Jesus, but he wouldn't be irreplaceable.

So if Sterling was to leave, that would mean the number seven would be vacant at City for the first time since the 2004/05 season. On one hand, it's just a number, and City have left other traditionally-significant numbers vacant in the past - numbers one and four are still vacant, and two, three, six, nine and 11 have all had seasons where they have been unused if there are no players 'worthy' of it.

But for players, a significant squad number can be an important factor for feeling wanted at a club, or for building a personal brand. Just look at Jack Grealish's genuine reaction when seeing that he had been given Sergio Aguero's number 10 shirt for the