Jorginho signing could prove astute business for title favourites Arsenal

 

Come on then, who had Jorginho to Arsenal, on deadline day, on their transfer bingo card? The Gunners had focused their efforts on prying Moises Caicedo away from Brighton, but the move for the Chelsea playmaker suggests they have admitted defeat, for now at least.  

 

On paper, it does seem like an odd pivot by the Premier League leaders. Caicedo is a high-energy box-to-box midfielder in Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton system. Jorginho, on the other hand, is more of a tempo-setter for the Blues.  

 

He likely hasn’t ever been described as high-energy. In fact, there was that clip that went viral a few years back now of him being outpaced by a referee in the middle of the pitch as he attempted to get back to stop a counter.  

 

It is true, if given large areas to defend, the Euro 2020 winner would struggle. But Arsenal have been one of the best defensive teams in the league this season. They defend as a unit and their inverted full-back tactic means the man in the middle is rarely isolated.  

 

While this may seem like an opportunistic signing given his contract expires at the end of the season, Arsenal are long-term admirers of the 31-year-old. Back in 2013, when Arsene Wenger was at the helm, the Gunners scouted the midfielder. There were also conversations between the club and the player’s representatives during the summer of 2020. Arteta was assistant manager at Manchester City when the Premier League champions tried to sign Jorginho before he moved to Chelsea.  

 

Both Arsenal and Arteta are well aware of what Jorginho can do. If they are happy to sanction a deal, the manager must feel as though he fits into the project at the Emirates, even if he is only viewed as a short-term solution.  

 

The Gunners are moving for him at an interesting time too. The 46-cap international is actually posting his highest WhoScored average rating in the Champions League for Chelsea this term (7.13). It is even more impressive when you consider there have been managerial changes and tactical switches at Stamford Bridge. There’s been no real consistency and yet Jorginho has been, statistically speaking in European action, at his best for the Blues.  

 

Speaking of stats, his second worst-rated Premier League performance was against Arsenal and while he has committed just two errors leading to an opposition goal in his English top-flight career, one of which was against the Gunners. 

 

 

During his time in England, the 31-year-old has scored 21 Premier League goals, 19 of which have been penalties. He isn’t going to add goals from midfield, but Arsenal aren’t in need of that. They need someone capable of helping sustain attacks and Jorginho has the on-ball ability to do just that.  

 

Remarkably, Jorginho has a pass success rate of 87% across his four-and-a-half seasons with the Blues. He is used to seeing a lot of the ball too, averaging 76 passes per 90. There aren’t many plug-and-play individuals in the world these days due to the complexity of the systems being deployed by managers, but Jorginho might fall into that particular category. He could be a metronome for this Arsenal team and could help them get over the line in the title race.  

 

The £12m could turn out to be shrewd business, even if it goes against what the Gunners have been doing in the transfer market over recent years. Everything has been geared towards the long-term, but given they have an opportunity in the short-term, bringing in experienced players for the now - like Jorginho and Leandro Trossard - is justified. You cannot overestimate the value of signing winners and Jorginho is just that, having won multiple competitions with Chelsea.

Jorginho signing could prove astute business for title favourites Arsenal