It is only a matter of time until Jorginho is announced as an Arsenal player. The Gunners have agreed an 18-month permanent deal for the Italian with an option for a further year with the fee rising up to £12million, football.london understands.
The move has certainly created a response from the Arsenal fan base who are disappointed in missing out on Moises Caicedo. However, with the Premier League title challenge on, ensuring some immediate impact from additions was key hence why Leandro Trossard was brought in after missing out on Mykhailo Mudryk.
Furthermore, looking deeper into the profile of Jorginho and it becomes very obvious why he is a player Mikel Arteta has always liked. The Gunners were keen on the then 28-year-old back in 2020 amid the transfer sagas surrounding both Houssem Aouar and the man who’d eventually join, Thomas Partey.
READ MORE: Jorginho sparks Arsenal division but Arteta has achieved non-negotiable January transfer mission
Statistically, Jorginho stands up very well indeed, during this season, according to Wyscout, the Italian has performed more defensive duels per 90 (7.36) compared to Thomas Partey (6.2) and Moises Caicedo (7.29). His success rate also supersedes that of the Ecuador international (60.1% > 58.8%) although falls shy of Partey’s (67%).
His reading of the game also stands out with Jorginho’s interceptions per 90 (5.4) better than both Partey (4.58) and Caicedo (3.46) too. This theme continues with recoveries per 90 with Jorginho managing 10.53 beating Partey ever so slightly, at 10.52, and Caicedo, at 9.25.
Progressive passing is good for Jorginho too. He attempts 9.08 passes into the final third per 90 compared to Caicedo’s 7.02 but falls just short of the Arsenal man who attempts 9.98. He does beat Partey when talking about the frequency of passes into the box per 90 (1.68 > 1.62) but Caicedo wins out with 1.78.
What this shows is that Arsenal are signing a player in a season where there is little time for a player to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League as the Gunners chase a title and have secured in Jorginho someone ready for the task. The 18-month contract does not lock them into any decisions for the long term, nor does it stop them from investing in one or more big-money targets in the midfield in the summer.
Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny’s futures could end this summer leaving plenty of room for recruitment. Writing off Jorginho would be naïve, and criticising Arsenal for adding a ready-made player in the tricky January window for a position he fulfils would be even more so.
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