While players across Europe have been slipping into their new colourways for the business end of the season there was a new generation project disguised in a blackout wrap at Arsenal's London Colney Training Ground on Wednesday afternoon.
Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi took to the pitch in a mystery blackout boot ahead of boarding the plane with his teammates to Greece where the Gunners will take on Olympiacos in the Europa League Round of 32 1st leg tomorrow night. So, what was he wearing? Is it simply a new-generation of a current boot or are we looking at Nike's first new silo project of 2020?
Mustafi has been wearing the Nike Phantom Vision II since it was released last month, and before that he was wearing the first generation so we can safely assume that this blackout pair is a Nike boot. What remains unclear is which silo it is, especially when you consider the PhantomVSN II only dropped a few weeks back, all but ruling out the possibility of it being a PhantomVSN III so soon. So, we're potentially looking at a brand new Nike project on the feet of Mustafi here, one that won't be dropping any time soon, but one that does throw questions marks around the current Nike four silo set-up of the Mercurial, Tiempo, VSN and VNM.
A subtle Swoosh is visible on the upper, as is an obvious mid-collar silhouette, a look far more reminiscent of the VSN than the VNM albeit without the usual lace-cover, which only further fuels speculation of a new boot series entirely. A Nike re-shuffle ahead of a busy summer of international football, anyone?
For now, it'll remain under wraps. Stay tuned for more as the season rumbles on towards the summer...
