Arsenal completed a deal to sign midfielder Jorginho from Chelsea on January transfer deadline day.
The Italian international joined the Gunners for a deal worth £10million in guaranteed fees with a further £2million in add-ons, football.london understands. His contract will be until the summer of 2024, with the club holding the option of an extra year - a move that Arsenal hero Alan Smith is a big fan of.
Speaking about Jorginho to football.london 's The Arsenal Way podcast, Smith said: "He's 31, it's an 18-month contract, he's a Champions League winner, European Championship winner for Italy and he's somebody that rarely gives the ball away. I know that athletically he's not somebody that's going to get up and down the pitch but I think positionally he's so clever, so cute and he's got that ability to play first-time passes through the lines so you could see him knocking it into Odegaard and co."
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Similarly, fellow ex-Gunners striker Kevin Campbell has also praised the north Londoners for the deal, claiming that the 31-year-old's experience could be crucial as Mikel Arteta looks to win his side their first Premier League title since 2004.
Speaking about the deal for the former Napoli man on Sky Sports News, Campbell said, “I like it. I know a lot of the [Arsenal] fanbase is thinking, ‘another Chelsea player’ etc., but he’s experienced, he’s smart, he’s a good user of the ball and he’s somebody who can sit at the base of the midfield if Thomas Partey isn’t there or isn’t playing and dictate the play. That’s what Arsenal have lacked.
“Right now, when you look at 18 months, Arsenal have big ambitions and he’s a proven Champions League player. Good business.”
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