Playmaker Ozil wants No.10 Arsenal shirt

Berlin, Sep 4 (IANS) After wearing Germany's football team's No.10 shirt, playmaker Mesut Ozil has expressed the desire to don the coveted number at English club Arsenal as Jack Wilshere has left on loan for Bournemouth.

"It just went free, and I definitely want it," said Ozil when he was asked about the Arsenal No.10 shirt in an interview with German newspaper Express on Saturday.

Ozil recently claimed the same number with Germany after Lukas Podolski announced his international retirement.

"I'd wanted the number for years but so did Lukas Podolski. And he got to keep it because he had more caps than I did. Now I've pounced," the 27-year-old said.

"The number fits me and my position: Play-maker," added Ozil, who has 80 international caps.

Ozil said the number meant a lot to him, as it put him in a lineage of sorts.

"It's my favourite number. Football legends like Zinedine Zidane, Diego Maradona and Pele wore that number on their backs. I'm really very happy to have it," said the former Real Madrid player, who joined Arsenal in 2013 after playing three years for the Spanish powerhouse.

The German playmaker said he was ready to resume talks with Arsenal on a new contract.

"I've got a deal that takes me through 2018. We've had talks, but we broke them off during the Euros so I could concentrate on the national team. Let's see where the negotiations go from here," he said.

--IANS

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