Four Newcastle United players have received squad number upgrades ahead of the new season, suggesting they are set to have more influential roles at the club.
Summer Overhaul at St James' Park
It has been a summer of upheaval at St James' Park, with head coach Eddie Howe stepping down and being replaced by Matthias Jaissle. Meanwhile, key players Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier have moved on.
The Magpies have been busy themselves, with Amar Dedic becoming the sixth major signing of the summer after arriving from Benfica in a £29.5million deal. There are also changes for some existing players, who will be key as the club embarks on a new era. A quartet have seen their squad numbers change.
Key Players Get New Numbers
Tino Livramento, already an important player, goes from 21 to take the number two shirt vacated by Trippier. Striker William Osula, 18 last season, has graduated to the number 10 jersey, previously held by Gordon.
The Dane, who has made just eight starts in two years on Tyneside, looks set to get more game time under Jaissle, especially after stressing his commitment to the club, having been the subject of transfer speculation.
The other squad changes are more minor, with Anthony Elanga moving from 20 to 19 as he looks to kickstart his Magpies career after a difficult first season. Youngster Leo Shahar has swapped the 61 shirt for 51.
New Signings Allocated Numbers
Meanwhile, new signings Ewen Jaouen, Lukas Hornicek, Sean Steur, Bazoumana Toure and Aladji Bamba have all been allocated their numbers ahead of the new campaign. Keepers Hornicek and Jaouen have been given 21 and 24, respectively. Steur and Toure take the numbers 14 and 17, while Bamba will wear eight.
Dedic will wear 37 after being reunited with Jaissle, having played under him at Liefering and Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. The full-back said: "It's a special feeling and a really big honour for me to join Newcastle United. I can't wait to start playing for the club and their amazing fans."
"Working with Matthias again was a big factor for me. We know each other well, he knows what I can bring on the pitch and I'm really happy to be playing for him again."
Dedic, who has 31 international caps, began his professional career at Salzburg in 2015 and spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Marseille before joining Benfica in the summer of 2025.
