He doesn’t have what it takes to lead this team, Arteta should strip off the captaincy from Him before is too late”, Man united legend Rio Ferdinand urge Arteta to strip off captain badge from Martin Ødegaard and give it to One Arsenal player if He really wants to win league

admin_403zj6332 weeks agoLast Updated: September 5, 2024

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Arsenal may have already decided on who is taking over the iconic No 10 shirt after the departure of Emile Smith Rowe. Despite speculations that Martin Odegaard may change his shirt number this season, it seems Mikel Arteta has handed the number to another player.

Initially, there were rumours that Raheem Sterling, who joined the Gunners on loan from Chelsea, might be given the iconic squad number. However, it was confirmed on Tuesday that Sterling will wear the No. 30 shirt instead.

Now, it appears that the UEFA Champions League’s official website may have inadvertently revealed the new wearer of the No.10 jersey before Arsenal could make the announcement themselves.

Mikel Arteta’s squad for this season’s UEFA Champions League has been posted online, including squad numbers, and a significant detail was noticed beside Gabriel Martinelli’s name.

While Bukayo Saka retains the No. 7 shirt and Gabriel Jesus wears the No. 9, the No.10 is listed next to Martinelli on UEFA’s official site, strongly indicating that the Brazilian forward has been chosen to inherit the number from Smith Rowe.

Martinelli originally wore the No.35 shirt after his £6 million move from Ituano in July 2019, later switching to the No. 11 shirt after Martin Ødegaard took the No. 8 jersey.

If Martinelli indeed takes over the No.10 shirt, it marks a significant milestone for the 23-year-old at Arsenal. This development comes amid recent questions about his role in the squad, especially considering Leandro Trossard’s impressive performances off the bench.

Additionally, reports suggested that Arteta was keen to sign Athletic Bilbao’s No. 10, Nico Williams, this summer—a player who also operates on the left flank, potentially indicating that Arsenal were exploring options to strengthen that position.

Despite this, the decision to assign Martinelli the No.10 shirt suggests that Arsenal see him as a key figure in the squad. The pressure is now on the Brazilian to live up to the legacy of previous No.10 wearers, including Dennis Bergkamp, Robin van Persie, Mesut Özil, and Paul Merson.