Tottenham are about to tie up a couple of transfers in the coming days and we've taken a look at what shirt numbers will be available for them
Tottenham are set to get the ball rolling in the January transfer window with the arrivals of Conor Gallagher and Souza to boost Thomas Frank's squad.
Gallagher will undergo his medical on Tuesday ahead of the 25-year-old England international midfielder sealing a £34.7million move from Atletico Madrid. Nineteen-year-old Souza is expected to land in the UK later on Wednesday so the left-back should tie up the formalities of his £13million switch from Santos the following day and he must also await his work permit.
What squad numbers will the duo be looking to take at Tottenham though as fans begin to decide whether to invest in having either of them on the back of their own shirts?
Let's start with Gallagher. The midfielder has been wearing the number four over the past 18 months in Spain with Atletico. At Chelsea, he had 23 on his back as he also did at Crystal Palace and while on loan at West Bromwich Albion, he wore the number 18. In previous loans at Swansea and Charlton he wore 33 and 11 respectively.
So what's free for him at Tottenham? The number four is taken by Kevin Danso, 23 by Pedro Porro and 11 by Mathys Tel, who has been linked with a loan move that might be problematic due to recent squad injuries. However, 18 is free after being vacated by Yang Min-hyeok during his three loan spells.
For a more traditional number, five remains available since Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's departure to Marseille. There is also 12, most recently worn by Emerson Royal, 16 which was worn by Luka Vuskovic on the bench before his loan move to Hamburg. Higher up the figures, 25 and 27 are available with Kota Takai and Manor Solomon having had the former and latter respectively before leaving on loan.
The number 26 remains unused but has been somewhat unofficially retired since Ledley King hung up his boots in 2012.
There's plenty of choice for Gallagher and there is always the chance that another player might be looking to change number.
When it comes to Souza, the Brazilian wore 33 last season for Santos and three the campaign before. He has also worn 14, 15 and 18 as a youngster at Santos as well as six and 16 for Brazil's youth sides.
The number 33 could become available in the summer if Ben Davies departs at the end of his contract, while Radu Dragusin currently holds the number three shirt but has also been linked with a move out of Tottenham. The number two shirt has been available since Matt Doherty left the club but is more associated with right-backs as well as USA attacker Clint Dempsey in one of the more bizarre shirt choices of recent years.
Five is perhaps a possibility if Gallagher does not take it, while 12, 16, 18, 25 and 27 are all potential numbers for Souza for the remainder of this season or he might go wild and plump for a much higher number. We will discover both players' final choices in the days ahead.