Chelsea have confirmed the squad numbers for new signings Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, who have stolen the jerseys of two current Stamford Bridge outcasts.
The Portuguese pair represent the Blues' two most expensive purchases of the summer transfer window so far, with Neto joining in a £51.1m deal from Wolverhampton Wanderers and making his debut in the recent loss to Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Felix - who spent the second half of 2022-23 on loan in West London - was not originally on Chelsea's radar for a permanent deal, but he emerged as an option when the club's proposed deal for Atletico Madrid's Samu Omorodion collapsed.
The Omorodion farce put Conor Gallagher's switch to Atletico in serious danger, and Chelsea eventually struck a deal worth around £44m to re-sign Felix permanently, allowing Gallagher to head the other way.
Felix became the 10th new arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer when his move was confirmed on Wednesday, and the Blues have now confirmed both his and Neto's shirt numbers for the upcoming season.
Felix, Neto take Trevoh Chalobah, Raheem Sterling jerseys
Felix will don the number 14 shirt for the 2024-25 campaign, the jersey currently sported by Trevoh Chalobah, who is one of a plethora of players training away from Enzo Maresca's main group.
Chelsea are desperately working to offload the home-grown Chalobah, who has apparently been banished from the first-team facilities, a fate shared by the now-departed Gallagher and Romelu Lukaku.
The defender's shirt being re-assigned is another telling sign that his days in a Chelsea kit are numbered, and Felix - who wore the '11' during his loan - follows him and Graeme Le Saux in taking the '14' at Stamford Bridge.
Meanwhile, Neto wore the number 19 for his debut against Man City, but the ex-Wolves man has now made the permanent switch to number seven, thereby stealing the shirt off of Raheem Sterling's back.
Despite there being several notable names missing from the matchday squad against Man City, Sterling's omission arguably raised the most eyebrows, and Maresca has now confirmed that the Englishman is not in his plans moving forward.
Aston Villa are believed to be interested in deals for both Chalobah and Sterling before the transfer window closes on August 30, although a move to Juventus has also been mooted for the latter.
Chelsea hint at striker arrival with vacant number?
Interestingly, Chelsea did not decide to offer Felix the vacant number nine jersey, which has been without an owner since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's brief spell at Stamford Bridge came to an end.
The Blues' intriguing decision suggests that they are banking on a big-name striker to arrive in the coming days, as they are thought to still be working on the capture of Victor Osimhen from Napoli.
The Nigerian's move to Stamford Bridge could hinge on Lukaku's prospective transfer in the opposite direction, and Chelsea could also have to fend off renewed interest from Paris Saint-Germain, who are apparently in the market for a new striker in the wake of Goncalo Ramos's serious ankle injury.
Chelsea begin their Europa Conference League campaign against Servette in the first round of their qualifying playoff tie on Thursday, but Felix will not make his second Blues debut in the continental clash. body check tags ::
