Martinez switches to No 1 at Chelsea and offers to sign shirts for fans caught by the change

Emiliano Martinez will wear the No 1 shirt for Chelsea against Arsenal on Sunday after switching from No 26 following Robert Sanchez’s move to Como, with the club offering to have the goalkeeper sign shirts already bought by fans with his original number.

Martinez had initially chosen No 26 upon joining from Aston Villa in a £7.5m deal, partly out of respect for club legend John Terry, who famously wore the number at Stamford Bridge. The pair spoke before Martinez completed his move, with Terry telling the 33-year-old he was “over the moon” to have him at the club.

“I remember using the 26 on loan a few times with previous clubs, and of course I knew John Terry famously had the 26 here,” Martinez said. “The morning I signed, I texted him and said, ‘I’m wearing your shirt, and I’m going to do it with pride.’”

With Sanchez’s departure freeing up the No 1 jersey — the number most closely associated with a first-choice goalkeeper — Martinez opted to make the switch, despite having already made his debut against Brighton wearing No 26.

Chelsea acknowledged that some supporters had already purchased official shirts bearing ‘Martinez 26’ before the change was confirmed. In response, Martinez offered to personally sign every affected shirt bought through the club’s official Megastore or website.

A Chelsea statement read: “In recognition of the change, and those impacted, Emi has kindly offered to sign all ‘Martinez 26’ shirts that had been obtained via the official Club Megastore or official Club website. In order to arrange this, supporters will be required to bring this shirt to Stamford Bridge along with proof of purchase by October 4.”