It was certainly a transfer that divided opinion, but Bacary Sagna claims Jorginho's arrival at the Emirates Stadium made perfect sense for all involved.
Arsenal's pursuit of a midfielder wasn't something many were expecting in January, especially after the signings of Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior, but a serious injury to Mohamed Elneny meant sporting director Edu had little choice but to dip into the market once again.
Attempts to sign Mykhailo Mudryk in a deal that would have been worth around £88million prior to his switch to Chelsea suggested that significant funds had been made available by owner Stan Kroenke, who is believed to have sanctioned a move for the Ukrainian winger.
READ MORE: Arsenal praised for Jorginho move as Gunners tipped for Moises Caicedo summer transfer
The same can be said for Brighton's Moises Caicedo, who released a statement asking to leave following a £70million bid from Arsenal. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, the Gunners were once again left frustrated after Brighton refused to budge on their stance that the Ecuadorian was not for sale. As a result, it meant the Premier League leaders were back to square one with just hours of the window remaining.
With Arsenal missing out on not one but two of their top targets, there was a growing sense of frustration and disappointment amongst supporters, feelings that only grew stronger when it emerged that attention had turned to 31-year-old Jorginho on deadline day. A combination of his age and the fact that previous business with Chelsea hadn't been the most successful made it a controversial risk many refused to back, but Sagna is part of the minority who believe it was a good deal.
"Jorginho and Thomas Partey both have their own qualities," the Frenchman told Premier League Odds. "Jorginho has a lot of experience from his time at Napoli, Chelsea and Italy, he made the right choice in leaving Chelsea and needed something new to step up his game. He will be able to have more of the ball at Arsenal and the way they play should suit him perfectly."
As far as Jorginho's start to life in north London is concerned, there hasn't been much to judge so far. The Italian international has only played 31 minutes since his arrival two weeks ago, coming off the bench to replace Thomas Partey during the 1-0 defeat away to Everton. Whilst it wasn't a cameo that set the world alight, Jorginho wasn't to blame for what was a disappointing team performance overall.
The hope will be that once he has more game-time under his belt, Jorginho will emerge as a vital member of Mikel Arteta's squad moving forward. There may be some doubt's over his profile, but there's no doubting the experience that he offers, and that in itself could prove key in the coming months.
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