His expected arrival has certainly divided opinion among Arsenal supporters, but the signing of Jorginho could well benefit the club's transfer business come the summer.
The 31-year-old is set to join the Gunners today after a £12million deal was agreed between Arsenal and Chelsea, which will see him put pen to paper on an 18-month contract with an option of a further year. It comes after the Premier League leaders had two bids turned down for Brighton's Moises Caicedo, the last one believed to be worth £70million.
Mikel Arteta was desperate to bolster options in midfield after Mohamed Elneny underwent successful surgery on a 'significant' knee injury, but the need for reinforcements was only emphasised following Sambi Lokonga's struggles against Manchester City last week. The addition of Jorginho has opened up the door for the Belgian to leave before tonight's 11pm deadline, with Arsenal and Crystal Palace in talks over a potential loan move, football.london understands.
READ MORE: Arsenal in talks with Crystal Palace over loan exit for Albert Sambi Lokonga amid Jorginho move
That is not expected to be the only benefit of Jorginho's arrival, however, as his signing will allow Stan Kroenke to substantially back Arteta again in the summer. Prior to the £70million pursuit of Caicedo, the Gunners were in talks with Shakhtar Donetsk to sign Mykhailo Mudryk in a deal that eventually saw Chelsea splash £88million to win the race. Although it appears Arsenal will now miss out on both players, it shows KSE are willing to provide sufficient funds now and in the future.
With Jorginho only costing £12million and signing a short-term contract, it leaves plenty of money available for a big name signing in a few months time ahead of the 2023/24 season. In addition to Caicedo, Arsenal hold serious interest in West Ham's Declan Rice and football.london understands the business conducted this month will have no direct impact on plans to recruit another midfielder in the summer.
Rice has continued to impress for both club and country and with a resolution yet to be found over extending his current deal, a summer move looks increasingly likely, though it could take an offer in the region of £80million to secure his services.
The England international has been full of praise for Arsenal and believes they are "one-hundred per cent" capable of winning the league. "They are a top team," Rice said. "You can see they are coached incredibly well, have a lot of attacking talent, a young squad and they can go the whole way for sure."
Whether Arsenal eventually make their move for Caicedo and/or Rice remains to be seen, but it appears steps are being taken that could see Kroenke sanction the club's record signing and break the £72million spent on Nicolas Pepe in 2019. Fans may not be overly excited about Jorginho, but the summer window is nicely poised be one of their biggest and most exciting yet.
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