The shirt numbers left for Chelsea summer signings

A new dawn beckons at Stamford Bridge with Mauricio Pochettino being drafted in to steady the ship following a year of chaos and misery.

2022/23 was a campaign to forget for the five-time Premier League champions as Todd Boehly went through a couple of managers and two interims during his first full season at the helm. Last term was always going to be one of transition, but very few projected such turbulence.

Pochettino has now taken on the tricky task of restoring Chelsea as a genuine Premier League force, and steps have already been made to trimming down a bloated squad that won't be competing in Europe next season. Chelsea's personnel is bound to look very different in 2023/24, and there's set to be plenty of change of the shirt numbers front with several coveted vacancies opening up for new arrivals.

Here are the numbers available to the new faces at Stamford Bridge.

#2

Chelsea aren't expected to oversee an overhaul at full-back this summer despite full-back whisperer Pochettino arriving in west London. The Blues, however, have overseen the exit of captain Cesar Azpilicueta, with Malo Gusto, who signed from Lyon in January before finishing the season with the French club, expected to compete with Reece James for minutes.

Chelsea didn't have a 2 in their ranks last season following the departure of Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid, and Gusto's shirt number for 2023/24 is yet to be revealed. The Frenchman wore 27 during his final season at Lyon.

#3

The Blues didn't establish an immediate successor for Marcos Alonso's number 3 shirt last season, and there are no obvious candidates this summer either.

The club are likely to part ways with Baba Rahman and Malang Sarr, while Lewis Hall, a midfielder who was used at left-back last term, is unlikely to take the shirt.

Levi Colwill is a possible option presuming he remains on the club's books. Chelsea would be wise to keep the left-footed centre-half after his excellent season on loan with Brighton and impressive campaign with England's Under-21s at the Euros.

#7

Typically donned by your flashy winger who believes tracking back is a war crime on a Sunday, the 7 was worn by the indefatigable all-time Premier League great N'Golo Kante during his seven years at the club.

The Blues have been keen to distribute this shirt out to hard-working central midfielders in recent times, with Ramires, Scott Parker and Didier Deschamps all wearing 7 at Stamford Bridge. Perhaps Conor Gallagher, currently the club's 23, could be in for a shirt change? Maybe Moises Caicedo will take Kante's mantle should he eventually complete a move?

#8

Manchester City's surprise pursuit of Mateo Kovacic has left the coveted 8 shirt free in west London. Frank Lampard's former number has been worn by Oscar, Ramires and Kovacic since his departure, with each of these midfielders enjoying bursts of impressive form with the Blues.

However, it's fair to say that Lampard's mammoth boots are yet to be filled, and whoever takes the shirt on this summer is certainly a brave man. If Caicedo opts against 7 then 8 is surely the next best thing given his potential as a box-to-box menace.

#11

Didier Drogba did all of his Premier League damage wearing Chelsea's 11 and Nicolas Jackson could be next in line to don this shirt after signing from Villarreal earlier this summer.

The raw but gifted forward could emerge as Mauricio Pochettino's leading man up top if the Blues don't move for another striker this summer - which can't be ruled out. Perhaps Jackson is waiting for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future to be resolved so he can take the 9 shirt with fellow new arrival Christopher Nkunku taking the 11 worn by Joao Felix during his brief loan spell.

#12

12 has been the number of cult heroes recently. Ruben Loftus-Cheek wore it before his move to AC Milan, with Victor Moses and John Obi Mikel the other wearers of thr past 18 years.

It might not be the most illustrious number at Stamford Bridge, but it's apparently a one-way ticket to building an army of Twitter supporters.

#16

After seven years of watching Kenedy and Marco van Ginkel play hot potato with the 16, Edouard Mendy made the number his own when he joined in the 2020/21 season.

One of the youngsters with a high squad number will likely be promoted to this one.

#19

Chelsea fans may not want to discuss the reason why their number 19 shirt is available. A certain academy graduate's move to a certain Manchester side is a sore subject and will likely remain that way for years to come.

There's a surprising number of goals in the 19 shirt, which Demba Ba, Diego Costa and Tammy Abraham have all called home in the past decade.

#20

The 20 belonged to Callum Hudson-Odoi before he departed on loan last summer, after which fellow temporary recruit Denis Zakaria took ownership of the number.

The latter is back with Juventus and the former is expected to be sold, so there could be a brand new face wearing 20 next season.

#26

Kalidou Koulibaly made a big song-and-dance about asking John Terry for the famous 26 shirt at Stamford Bridge, but the number is back available again after just one season.

It's highly unlikely anybody takes the 26 again anytime soon, perhaps ever.

#28

After 11 years shining in 28, Cesar Azpilicueta has left the number vacant, having been the first player to take that shirt in nine years himself.

Like the 26, it could be the end of this number's cycle at Chelsea.

#29

Sticking with the obscure high-20s, the 29 is available after Kai Havertz's move to Arsenal.

There's been some surprising starpower up at 29, with Havertz following the likes of Alvaro Morata, Samuel Eto'o and Fikayo Tomori in taking this one.

Other available numbers

There are 13 current first-teamers without shirt numbers heading into 2023/24, although many of these names are unlikely to be on the club's books next season. Nevertheless, there are plenty of shirt number vacancies that need to be filled.

The 9 will likely become available with Aubameyang set to move on, while Chelsea's 10 shirt is also expected to come free as Christian Pulisic closes in on his move to AC Milan.