Martin Odegaard has already picked his Arsenal shirt number | OneFootball

Martin Odegaard could be set to re-join Arsenal after it was reported Real Madrid were open to selling him and the Gunners were close to a deal, but Odegaard already has his Arsenal shirt number picked out.

Klagenfurt, Austria, 8th August 2021. Martin Odegaard of Real Madrid reacts during the warm up prior to the Pre Season Friendly match at Worthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt. Picture credit should read: Jonathan Moscrop / Sportimage

When Martin Odegaard first arrived at Arsenal on loan at the start of the year, he picked the number 11 shirt when the number 10 was available following Mesut Ozil’s departure.

A player like Odegaard would surely love the number 10 and the chance to wear it, even briefly, would not be turned down by many.

But there was logic behind Odegaard’s decision, and it also points towards a player who was considering a longer stay in London.

It was reported back in January that Odegaard took the 11 and not the 10 because he knew the 10 was going to Emile Smith Rowe in the new season and Odegaard wanted a number he could keep should he return to Arsenal again.

Odegaard has been left out of Real Madrid’s La Liga opener this weekend and hasn’t even been given a squad number. In fact, the 21 that he wore upon his return from his loan with Real Sociedad, has been given to Rodrygo.

When Odegaard first signed for Real Madrid he was given the number 41 but has slowly moved his way up the numbers, going to 27, 26, and then 21.

There are no squad numbers lower than 21 available at Real Madrid at the time of writing. The first available number is 25.