EMILE SMITH ROWE revealed the superstition that causes him to his socks low.
Comparisons have naturally been made to Jack Grealish, who famously has them around the shins during matches.
Emile Smith Rowe wears his socks low around his calves, leading to comparisons with Aston Villa star Jack GrealishCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But the Arsenal playmaker insists it is purely about feeling free – and rebuffed suggestions it is for show.
Smith Rowe, 20, said: “I try to be free in my mind.
“There’s one thing I do, which is wear my socks low.
“I feel like that gives me a lot of freedom, I don’t know why. It’s just a little superstition.
“I feel like I always have a lot of freedom on the pitch all the players give me confidence and that makes it even easier for me.”
Smith Rowe has impressed in the Gunners side since getting his break under Mike Arteta.
He has two goals and five assists in 13 first-team appearances this term.
Arteta is likely to give Smith Rowe a ninth Premier League start in a row when he takes his side to Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime.
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And that could be a battle and-a-calf, with Villa skipper Grealish on the other side.
Grealish, meanwhile, revealed there are two explanations for his own low-sock look – including his colossal calves.
He said: “I wear my socks down for two reasons. Obviously your socks are supposed to go above your calves.
“But one year when I was here, the socks once shrunk in the wash. So they wouldn’t go higher.
“That season, I ended up playing really well. So it became a superstitious thing for me. I thought ‘I’m going to keep doing this because I’ve done well’.
“That was when my life took off when I was 16.
“There is also another reason. A lot of socks are so tight around my calves that they give me cramps.
“I try to have them down underneath my calves. I don’t do any work on them, either. It is just a thing that runs in my family.”
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Grealish avoids cramps in his calves by keeping the socks low for matchesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Mikel Arteta says Emile Smith Rowe is becoming more and more important in the team after Arsenal’s eventual win against Newcastle
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
