The first photo of Jorginho in an Arsenal shirt has been leaked on his agent’s Instagram account.
The Italian was the subject of a deadline day switch from Chelsea to London rivals Arsenal on a £12million deal, with Gunners fans getting a first look of their potential new man in a leaked photo and is expected to wear the No 20.
The former Blues vice-captain’s move to the north London side has been controversial, with some fans disappointed that their side missed out on Moises Caicedo, while pundits claim that the move can only prove a boost to Arsenal.
A picture of Jorginho in an Arsenal shirt for the first time was leaked on his agent’s Instagram
Mikel Arteta moved quickly to land the Italian in his search for options in midfield
The pair were pictured deep in conversation following a London derby back in 2020
Brazilian-born Italy midfielder Jorginho arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2018 from Napoli
Jorginho was pictured in his new colours alongside his agent, Joao Santos, with the image later being leaked on a deadline day that has seen his switch become one of the stories of the window.
The Brazilian-born midfielder was signed to bolster his new club’s midfield, with Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey proving a fruitful partnership in the club’s unexpected title challenge this term.
Although the pair have remained largely injury free this season, a knee problem has seen back-up option Mohamed Elneny sidelined for the foreseeable future.
The Ghanaian midfielder also picked up a rib injury in the 1-0 loss to Manchester City, and was duly substituted at half-time, but he is expected to be available for selection in Saturday’s Everton clash.
The partnership of Thomas Partey (L) and Granit Xhaka has proven fruitful for the Gunners
Jorginho had six months left on his deal at Chelsea, but the Gunners were keen to bring him to the Emirates now, rather than wait until the summer with few options at the club.
Arsenal had pursued a deal for Moises Caicedo
No deal was thought to be discussed with Jorginho to keep him at the club from former side Chelsea.
With the Blues Jorginho won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, and beat Arsenal to the Europa League title in 2018-19
Arsenal had several bids rejected for Brighton’s in-demand midfielder Caicedo, before proceeding to move for the Italian on a deal that will keep him at the club until summer 2024.
The Gunners were reluctant to ruin the good relationship they have with Brighton – having already signed Ben White and Leandro Trossard in the last two seasons – by persisting with a move for the Ecuador international, with the Seagulls clearly reluctant to part with their star.
The 31-year-old was not deemed crucial to Chelsea’s squad, as they look to make room for incoming Argentine wonderkid Enzo Fernandez, who is reportedly close to joining the Blues from Benfica.
Jorginho’s style of play may not on paper be a direct match for that of Arteta’s league leaders, but he does bring a wealth of big-game experience and success in some of football’s biggest tournaments.
The Gunners decided to accept Brighton ‘s resistance to selling Moises Caicedo (above)
Arguably one of the biggest fears of the club’s fanbase, was the athletic ability of the incoming Italian compared to that of Partey, whose work-rate has been key in their title bid.
But a closer look at the statistics highlights that Jorginho in fact covered more ground on average than both Partey and Arsenal’s first-choice option Caicedo since the start of last season – and by quite a margin.
The 31-year-old covers an average of 11.1km per 90 in the Premier League, with Partey down at 10.5 and Caicedo at 10.2.
Chelsea were open to selling Jorginho as his contract at the club was set to expire this summer and the potential arrival of Enzo Fernandez would push him further out of the picture
Jorginho outscores both Partey and Caicedo
He has also scored more goals (eight) than both Partey (four) and Caicedo (two), though all of them have come from the penalty spot.
Nevertheless, he has also made more passes, more forward passes and with a better accuracy than both Partey and Caicedo.
Perhaps surprisingly, he has also won possession more times per 90 minutes (8.3) than Partey (7.3) and Caicedo (6.7), and betters Partey and matches Caicedo for both interceptions and tackles.
While Jorginho is clearly a technician, any perception that he’s lightweight in midfield is clearly not entirely true.
That said, perhaps the one worry for Arsenal fans will be the fact he has been dribbled past 1.9 times a game, more than Partey (1.1) and Caicedo (0.6).
| Premier League Since 21/22 | Jorginho (per 90) | Partey (per 90) | Caicedo (per 90) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 47 | 40 | 26 | |
| Minutes | 3559 | 3426 | 2271 | |
| Goals | 8 (0.2) | 4 (0.11) | 2 (0.08) | |
| Assists | 2 (0.05) | 1 (0.03) | 2 (0.08) | |
| Chances Created | 34 (0.9) | 31 (0.8) | 24 (1) | |
| Distance covered (km) | 437.7 (11.1) | 399.9 (10.5) | 257.9 (10.2) | |
| Passes | 2761 (69.8) | 2247 (59) | 1341 (53.1) | |
| Passing Accuracy | 88% | 86% | 87% | |
| Passes Ending Final 1/3 | 806 (20.4) | 624 (16.4) | 372 (14.7) | |
| Forward Passes | 792 (20) | 636 (16.7) | 367 (14.5) | |
| Through Balls | 10 (0.3) | 13 (0.3) | 8 (0.3) | |
| Carry Distance (m) | 4311.4 (109) | 4700 (123.5) | 2445.1 (96.9) | |
| Tackles | 106 (2.7) | 79 (2.1) | 68 (2.7) | |
| Interceptions | 57 (1.4) | 42 (1.1) | 36 (1.4) | |
| Possession Won | 327 (8.3) | 277 (7.3) | 170 (6.7) | |
| Dribbled past by opp. | 77 (1.9) | 40 (1.1) | 15 (0.6) | |
| Duel Success | 52% | 54.2% | 57.8% |
MORE TO FOLLOW.
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