Bruno Guimaraes is set to wear the No.39 shirt for Arsenal after academy star Louie Copley moved to a new number.
Arsenal are preparing to confirm Guimaraes' arrival from Newcastle after the two clubs agreed a fixed fee of £75million to end the transfer saga.
The 28-year-old said his goodbyes at Newcastle's training camp in Spain before completing his medical with Arsenal and signing a four-year contract. His signing still hasn't been announced, although the Gunners have dropped a clear hint on their website.
Shirt number switch
Copley, who wore the No. 39 shirt in each of Arsenal's first two pre-season friendlies as well as in training sessions, has had his squad number changed to 38. It's a tell-tale sign that Guimaraes is now a Gunner and has taken his favourite number.
The midfielder has worn 39 throughout his club career, including for former clubs Lyon and Athletico Paranaense. Guimaraes likes to wear the number because his dad's taxi cab in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was #039.
Injury concern for Copley
Whether the decision was Copley's is unknown, although he did wear No.38 when captaining Arsenal's under-21 side last season. Unfortunately for Copley, who's just 19 and highly regarded at London Colney, he suffered an injury just minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute during the Gunners' 3-1 loss against Real Betis in a friendly on Wednesday.
Mikel Arteta said post-match: "It doesn't look good, the mechanism is not too positive, the symptoms that he already has either. Let's hope that tomorrow [Thursday] the news is better than we hope."
Impact on Arsenal's squad
Guimaraes will become Arsenal's most expensive signing of the summer, with the Gunners having also brought in Christos Tzolis for £34m and Illan Meslier on a free transfer. The Brazilian is expected to partner Declan Rice in midfield once the season gets going.
By leaving Newcastle, Guimaraes becomes the third key player to depart St James' Park this summer as well as manager Eddie Howe. New Magpies boss Matthias Jaissle said: "I met him quickly, but the decision was already made. It was a nice conversation.
"He's a fantastic player and a great human being. It's tough but for him now it's the next challenge and we need to deal with it at a later stage. We trust the players who are here already, but we will also see some changes."
