:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/7225819/145597183.jpg)
Chelsea's boys are back to work at Cobham today as the defending European Champions begin preparations for the new season. All of the senior players save for the Euro 2012 participants, Frank Lampard, Gary Cahill, Daniel Sturridge and David Luiz were in attendance, including new signings Eden Hazard and Marko Marin, who've apparently taken the squad numbers of two departed players.
Based on the photos and video in that linked article, we can be fairly confident that Hazard will be wearing #17, formerly donned by Portuguese right back Jose Bosingwa, while Marin will get #21 of Salomon Kalou fame. Kevin de Bruyne's also been given a squad number, although it remains to be seen if he'll be able to stick with the seniors this year (for the sake of his playing time, I hope he doesn't). And yes, feel free to speculate away on what handing out Luka Modric's Tottenham Hotspur number to a Chelsea prospect means for any prospective transfer. Hint: Not much, but speculation is fun.
Anyway, it's entirely possibly that those numbers will change as we get into the season, but in Hazard and Marin's case it seems highly unlikely. So, squad numbers! Hurray!