Arsenal earlier released details of their squad numbers for 2008-09, and Walcott was allocated the number 32 jersey he has woen for the last two seasons.
But in a change announced on the club’s offivial website, Arsenal have confirmed that from the start of the 2008-09 season, Walcott will be wearing 14 jersey.
It is an iconic shirt at Arsenal because 14 was the number worn by the Gunners’ all-time leading goalscorer, Thierry Henry, who left the club a year ago for Barcelona.
The change of shirt also symbolises Walcott’s gravitation from the fringes of the Arsenal squad into the heart of it.
The England international and former Southampton star, still only 19, became steadily more influential in games last season, and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said he believes Walcott is ready to make a big impact for the Gunners from the start of the new campaign.
He scored his first Premier League and Champions League goals for the clubduring 2007-08, and earned a recall to the senior England squad for the recent friendly fixture against Trinidad and Tobago.
The change of shirt for Walcott is the only one following the original announcement on squad numbers. New signing Aaron Ramsey from Cardiff has been handed the No. 16 shirt, while Mexican striker Carlos Vela takes the No. 12.
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