Arsenal are a club that have long been associated with style.
On the pitch, the Gunners have earned praise for their style of play under Arsene Wenger, with their slick, quick passing game often compared (sometimes, mockingly) to that of Barcelona, although detractors have criticised them for prioritising style over substance.
But their link up play isn’t the only stylish thing about their on-the-field presence, with the North Londoners regularly kitting out in one of the best home kits in the league.
At the beginning of this season, the Gunners released their home shirt to much fanfare with a massive event at the Emirates Stadium near the beginning of the season, but after a second-placed finish in the league and with no trophy to show for their efforts for the first time since 2013, things have moved considerably faster as they released next year’s get-up on Twitter on Monday morning.
Presenting the 2016/17 @pumafootball @Arsenal home kit… Pre-order here: https://t.co/5xa347r8qb #WeAreTheArsenalhttps://t.co/QI4wxVINd2
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 23, 2016
Together, we are the @Arsenal. Preorder the 2016/17 Home Shirt today: https://t.co/WaUBD9r9Nb. pic.twitter.com/6eQAudvd3y
— PUMA Football (@pumafootball) May 23, 2016
While it’s quite hard to get it wrong when it comes to the iconic Arsenal shirt, the dark red line down the middle will no doubt divide opinion. If it weren’t for that line, this would be as near to a perfect Arsenal shirt as your can get, as it looks to be far more flattering to the average fan than the Gunners’ recent skin-tight effort.
Arsenal fans will also be pleased to see that with the announcement of the new kit came a big hint that Alexis Sanchez will be sticking around for at least another season.
Supporters were worried that the Chilean winger might follow a familiar route for fan favourites by leaving the Emirates, but the club revealed that Sanchez will be taking on the number seven shirt vacated by the outgoing Tomas Rosicky. While this doesn’t guarantee Sanchez will return next season, it would be odd for Arsenal to announce this change if they had any intention of letting him go.
New season, new kit, new number for @Alexis_Sanchez https://t.co/rDf8iC1fXQ pic.twitter.com/H08v8Fyf9B
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 23, 2016