Arsenal completed the signing of Chelsea midfielder Jorginho for £12m on Deadline Day. The Italian midfielder, age 31, has agreed to a deal for 18 months with a one-year extension option. Jorginho was halfway through his Chelsea deal and the Blues were attempting to sign Benfica central midfielder Enzo Fernandez for a British transfer record. In the summer of 2020, immediately after he had won the Champions League with the Blues and the year before he had won the European Championships with Italy, Jorginho was being pursued by Arsenal under Mikel Arteta. 2018 saw Manchester City make a bid to sign Arteta, but Jorginho turned down the chance to leave Napoli and work under Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea. At the time, Arteta was also Manchester City’s assistant coach.
“He had a significant influence because I am aware of his previous attempts to seduce me, which failed for reasons unrelated to my desires,” Jorginho said after completing his move to Arsenal. “To be honest, I’m so eager to take on this new challenge and play on the field! Everything took place very quickly. Although I was a little taken aback, I seized the chance to accept this incredible task.”
Since Mohamed Elneny, an international for Egypt has a “severe” knee injury, Arsenal is lacking options in the midfield. Albert Sambi Lokonga, a midfielder for Arsenal, has been loaned out to Crystal Palace. Thomas Partey, who sustained a rib injury, is another player who is still being monitored for injuries. In the final week of the January transfer window, the Gunners made two bids for Moises Caicedo, but Brighton steadfastly refused to sell the midfielder.
“He may actually be a really smart addition in terms of slowing things down with a cool mind with maybe 10 games left in the season when they might actually need calm heads when there is a pressure moment and the nerves are starting to come on in the title run-in with seven or eight games left,” Jamie Carragher said. “He is an excellent player who has recently won the Champions League and a European Championship, but his style of play is different from other players’. However, I think that might be a huge help for them when they start to get worried about the finish of the season.”
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