Ross Barkley has been left without a number at Chelsea.
Mateo Kovacic has been given his fellow midfielder's No8 top in a possible hint that boss Thomas Tuchel is squeezing out Barkley for good.
With N'Golo Kante suffering a niggle in training and Jorginho not yet fully fit after Euro 2020, Kovacic hopes to start in Saturday's Premier League opener at home to Crystal Palace.
The Croatia star appears to have been rewarded after a solid 2020-21 season, with an 'upgrade' in shirt numbers from 17 to 8.
Ex-Real Madrid ace Kovacic notched 27 Prem appearances last term, plus ten in the Champions League.