With new head coach Andoni Iraola well underway with his pre-season preparations, the Spaniard will be keen to see his side return to the title fight, after a sub-par season last year saw the Reds finish the campaign empty-handed under the stewardship of Arne Slot.

Every season, fans are keen to find out which shirt numbers could be handed to Liverpool’s newest arrivals, and if any of the existing cohort will make a switch for the new campaign.

With several infamous numbers up for grabs, the final allocations could provide another clue as to how the Reds’ squad could look going into the season.

Goalkeepers

Having inially worn the No. 13 shirt for his first season on Merseyside, Alisson has retained the No. 1 shirt ever since he made the switch ahead of the 2019/20 season, and this year is set to be no different.

Giorgi Mamardashvili, however, will hope that the Brazilian’s shirt will be his in a year’s time, with the Georgian hoping for more minutes under Iraola, having only appeared in 10 Premier League matches last season.

Defenders

Action Images via Reuters

New signing Jeremy Jacquet will follow in the footsteps of Ibrahima Konaté and Daniel Agger by pulling on the No. 5 shirt after completing his £55 million move from Rennes this summer, with the number vacated after Konate’s move to Real Madrid, whilst fullback Milos Kerkez will retain his No. 6 shirt.

Dutch duo Virgil van Dijk and Jeremie Frimpong will also maintain their shirt numbers, wearing 4 and 30 respectively, while the likes of Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas will also carry over their numbers from the previous campaign.

Midfielders

With very little action in the transfer market so far, it comes as no surprise that Liverpool’s midfield will all don the same shirts as previous seasons. Florian Wirtz will have the honor of sporting one of Liverpool’s most prestigious numbers, with the likes of Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Luis Suárez all having worn the No. 7 shirt previously.

Dominik Szoboszlai channeled his inner Steven Gerrard last season after scoring six goals and assisting a further seven whilst sporting the No. 8. Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Harvey Eliott are among the other names to have retained their shirt number.

Forwards

Alexander Isak will be keen to stake his claim to the Reds’ No. 9 shirt, after an injury-ridden season last campaign saw him make just 22 appearances in all competitions, netting just four goals after his controversial £125m move from Newcastle last summer.

Federico Chiesa will have to compete with the likes of Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha in order to cement his place in Iraola’s starting XI, with all three players maintaining their shirt numbers for the 2026/27 season. Liverpool’s top scorer from last season, Hugo Ekitiké, will also carry on in his No. 22 shirt.

New signing Victor Munoz has taken the No. 23 after joining the club. The No. 23 has been made famous at both ends of the pitch for Liverpool, with club legend Jamie Carragher wearing the shirt throughout his 16-year stint at the club, before Colombian winger Luis Diaz recorded 17 goal contributions in the shirt across his first two seasons at Liverpool.

Available Numbers

One of the most glaring holes in the squad is the lack of a No. 11, a shirt that has been worn by star winger Mo Salah for the last nine seasons as the Egyptian became Liverpool’s all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League.

Similarly, Andy Robertson’s lasting impact at the club means that whoever opts for his recently-vacated No. 26 shirt will have big boots to fill going into next season.

Arsenal’s squad numbers for the 2026/27 season have been revealed as they look to retain their Premier League crown.

Mikel Arteta‘s side finally brought the league title home after a spell of over two decades last season, edging out Manchester City. It was a fantastic campaign built on defensive solidity, set-piece effectiveness and a strong structural setup and system.

That took them all the way to the finals of both the Champions League and Carabao Cup, losing out on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in heartbreaking fashion, whilst City, and Pep Guardiola, had the edge at Wembley Stadium. With a slightly altered squad, Arteta’s side will start as favourites to retain their crown, but there are some questions heading into the new campaign over player-squad roles.

The Gunners squad numbers may provide a hint at the roles some players are expected to play at the Emirates Stadium this season. Here is the full list of confirmed squad numbers, plus available numbers.

Goalkeepers

Arsenal’s goalkeeper department has been added to this summer, with Illan Meslier arriving from Leeds United on a free transfer to round out an experienced trio of shot-stoppers led by three-time Golden Glove winner David Raya and back-up Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Expect Raya to maintain his position whilst Meslier and Arrizabalaga will fight it out for Carabao Cup games as the former Chelsea keeper enjoyed a run to the final against Man City last season.

Defenders

Boasting one of the best defensive squads in world football, Arteta has built a strong army of quality defenders, capable of playing multiple roles. The only addition to note is that Piero Hincapié made his loan move permanent this summer after impressing on loan from Bayer Leverkusen last season.

One thing to note is that William Saliba was injured at the World Cup in the summer but he doesn’t require surgery. However, he is set to be out for an extended period, meaning he will miss the start of the new campaign. Another injury concern is Jurriën Timber, who is yet to play during their pre-season matches. A late-August return looks to be on the card, however.

Regardless, with the versatility of their backline, Arteta can accommodate the absence of Saliba, helping them to start the season in a strong shape.

Midfielders

Arsenal’s Declan Rice via REUTERS/Scott Heppell

Alongside their defence, Arsenal’s midfield has been key to their success. However, we expect there to be changes before the end of the window — both in terms of incomings and outgoings.

Take the futures of both Fabio Vieira and Christian Nørgaard as examples; both look set for moves away to free up funds in midfield as Nørgaard started just once in the league last season whilst Vieira was on loan in the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV.

Exits will likely allow the arrival of Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimarães for around £75million, with the Brazilian likely to partner Declan Rice in midfield – wearing the number 39. Fans will be curious about the role of Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was utilised in midfield last season, even starting the Champions League final, as he competes with Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze.

Forwards

REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Seen as Arsenal’s weakest squad area, fans may be concerned over the loss of Leandro Trossard, who left for Besiktas in Turkey after 50 appearances last season and 19 goal contributions. His replacement has already been sourced: enter former Club Brugge attacker Christos Tzolis.

Arriving after guiding his team to league glory and managing 51 goal contributions, the 24-year-old could well be a shrewd addition, but he faces competition from more established attackers such as Gabriel Martinelli. However, their interest in Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior could well complicate matters for the new arrival, as the Brazilian would instantly become a talismanic figure off the left, making Arsenal a formidable outfit should he arrive.

In terms of uncertain futures, Reiss Nelson spent last season on loan at Brentford, and he is currently entering the final year of his deal, likely to exit. Whereas Gabriel Jesus, who has struggled with injuries and fallen behind Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres, is also likely to depart but nothing concrete has surfaced thus far.

Available Numbers

A handful of significant numbers remain unclaimed. The no.15, no.16 and no.18 are both free, as is the no.19 left behind by Trossard – previously worn by the likes of Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Gilberto Silva. The no. 15 is strongly associated with Arsenal legend Ray Parlour, while Cesc Fabregas also donned it for a number of campaigns. Aaron Ramsey and John Hartson are among those to wear the no. 16 jersey. Nwankwo Kanu, Emmanuel Adebayor and Mohamed Elneny are among those to have worn the no. 25.

The 2026/27 Carabao Cup gets under way with a twist, as the new season brings a new detail.

For the first time in recent memory, the first round is being staged across a weekend rather than in the traditional midweek slot, with the reason having something to do with a major tournament in North America.

Here, GIVEMESPORT brings you the reason why.

Why Carabao Cup Round One Games Are Being Played on a Weekend

No prizes for guessing that the World Cup is the reason for this new schedule. With the expanded 48-team tournament staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico taking up more of the summer than usual, the start of the domestic season has been pushed back to give players and clubs a breather.

That later start has condensed the football calendar, and to ease the congestion, the EFL has shifted the Carabao Cup’s opening round forward to the weekend of August 7-9.

It means the competition actually kicks off before the league campaign this year. The Championship, League One and League Two seasons do not begin until the following week, meaning it is the first taste of competitive action for most EFL clubs of the new campaign.

Of course, Premier League clubs enter the competition in Round Two, with clubs that have qualified for the Champions League or Europa League joining in Round Three.

How It Differs From the Traditional Dates

Typically, round one is played during the week immediately after the opening league fixtures, across a Tuesday and Wednesday. The 2026/27 season flips that: the cup comes first, spread over a weekend, before a ball has been kicked in the EFL.

Crucially, only the first round has moved. From round two onwards — the stage at which the 11 Premier League clubs not involved in Europe enter — the competition reverts to its familiar midweek rhythm.

A preliminary round was again required this term to accommodate the nine Premier League sides in European competition, with Crawley Town and Rochdale coming through to join the 68 other EFL clubs in round one.

Carabao Cup Round One Fixtures

Every tie will be live on Sky Sports, with marquee games on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football and the remainder streamed on Sky Sports+. Middlesbrough‘s clash with Wrexham is also being shown free-to-air on ITV, emulating its round-one coverage from last season with Birmingham City v Sheffield United on Wednesday, August 13, 2025.

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