Player Of The Year Inherits Iconic Shirt
Chelsea have confirmed their squad numbers for the 2026-27 season, with Joao Pedro taking the club’s famous No.9 shirt off Liam Delap. The Brazilian’s promotion reflects his standing after being named Chelsea’s Player of the Year last season, switching from his previous No.20.
Delap, meanwhile, moves to the No.12 shirt, a notable downgrade for the striker whose Stamford Bridge future remains genuinely uncertain amid ongoing exit speculation. Notably, this switch carries symbolic weight given the number’s troubled history at Chelsea, having previously been worn by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku, none of whom fully escaped the pressure that comes with it.
Several other changes accompanied the announcement. Wesley Fofana has taken over the No.3 shirt, left vacant following Marc Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid, while summer signing Pep Chavarria inherits the previously available No.29. Tosin Adarabioyo, whose own future remains unclear, has been handed the No.38 shirt instead of his familiar No.4, which now belongs to new arrival Valentin Barco.
New Faces Settle Into Fresh Numbers
Elsewhere, Chelsea’s other summer recruits received their official squad numbers, too. Marco Palestra takes the No.2 shirt, Maxence Lacroix wears No.5, and Jordan Henderson dons the No.14 jersey. Danny Welbeck has been assigned No.18, Emmanuel Emegha takes No.22, and Geovany Quenda completes the reshuffle with the No.23 shirt.
Morgan Rogers, already confirmed as Chelsea’s No.17 following his British-record move earlier this summer, retains that number as originally announced. Meanwhile, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Marc Guiu, all left out of pre-season plans, have not been assigned squad numbers at all, hinting strongly at potential departures before deadline day.
Pedro’s number switch arrives amid a genuinely productive pre-season, having already contributed multiple goals across Chelsea’s friendly fixtures. With competition for places fierce across Xabi Alonso’s forward line, according to Chelsea FC, the No.9 shirt now sits firmly with the club’s standout performer heading into the new campaign.
Readers following Chelsea’s squad rebuild under Alonso can find continued coverage on KCPredict as the Premier League season gets underway.