Mikel Arteta has explained why he took Jorginho off at half-time of Arsenal's 4-0 win over Everton on Wednesday evening.
Jorginho started the game ahead of Thomas Partey but the Italian international was withdrawn during the break, with Partey taking his place for the second period. Now, Arteta has confirmed that the former Napoli man wasn't feeling great after the first 45 minutes.
When speaking about why came off, Arteta said: "I am really happy as it was the game we had in hand against an opponent that we knew would make life really difficult for us. We experienced that at Goodison.
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"We started the game with some frustration and not really understanding what we had to do and allowed them to run in certain transitions. But after 25 minutes we started to get much better and the timing of the two goals was key.
"We needed a magic moment there. And Alex (Zinchenko) produced that. And then the team grew especially with Thomas (Partey) as Jorg(inho) was not feeling good today.
"When he came on he really gave some presence and some stability to the team and I think the second half was superb."
It remains to be seen whether or not he was referring to the experienced midfielder being injured or feeling unwell.
Jorginho arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Chelsea during the January transfer window, signing for a fee in the region of £12 million on deadline day. His contract will be until the summer of 2024, with the club holding the option of an extra year.
Speaking about Arteta to the club's official website after he signed, Jorginho said: "He was a big influence because I know that he tried a few times to get me before and it didn’t happen due to other reasons, not because of my wishes. So of course, he had a big influence.
“I’m very excited for this new challenge, and I just can’t wait to be on the pitch to be honest! Everything has happened so fast. I was a bit surprised, but I took the opportunity of this amazing challenge.
“It’s an important shirt. It’s an amazing club, a big one, and I’m really excited and happy to be here.”
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