Arsenal look set to complete a late bit of business in the January transfer window, with Chelsea's Jorginho set to move to the Emirates Stadium on deadline day.
A midfielder has been a priority for Mikel Arteta since last summer when Arsenal failed with a late bid for Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz, and after links to multiple middlemen throughout January, the Gunners look set to sign Jorginho from Chelsea. football.london understands that a deal worth £12m has been agreed upon between the Gunners and Chelsea, with the Italian set to sign a contract until 2024.
Jorginho has been at Chelsea since 2018 where he's made over 200 appearances for the Blues, helping them to Europa League and Champions League success. Arsenal had a £70m bid rejected for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo after the midfielder released a statement pleading to leave the Seagulls this month, but Brighton's stance did not change, and any move for the Ecuadorian international looks like it will have to wait until the summer.
READ MORE: Moises Caicedo to Arsenal hope, Martin Zubimendi blow, Chelsea transfer warning, Tielemans doubt
So, could Jorginho prove a decent alternative for Caicedo and help the Gunners to Premier League success? We simulated the rest of the season with the midfielder in the squad to try and find out.
Arsenal's 2022/23 season simulated with Jorginho
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2023 to arrange for Jorginho to join Arsenal on transfer deadline day, using FM23 to run the simulation. We then simulated the remainder of the 2022/23 season to see how the Italian international could perform. in north London.
During his time with both Arsenal and Chelsea, Jorginho made 48 appearances in all competitions, scoring one and assisting 13. 24 of those games came with the Gunners, and all 24 appearances were starts under Arteta as he became one of the Gunners' most important players.
Jorginho had the highest pass percentage (90%) out of the entire Arsenal squad, whilst also registering four assists and averaging a rating of 7.11 per game. The 31-year-old wasn't able to knock Bukayo Saka off his penalty perch as he registered zero goals throughout the season, but when compared to the rest of the Arsenal midfielders, Jorginho was one of the standouts.
Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey both averaged the highest ratings at the club (7.22), with the Norwegian scoring 12 and assisting 14 throughout the season. Jorginho's 7.11 average rating was the third-best out of the Gunners' midfielders, with Xhaka's rating much lower (6.86).
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2023 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Arsenal best XI: (4-3-3): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Odegaard, Jorginho; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
After starting every possible game whilst at Arsenal, Jorginho was included in the Gunners' best XI, despite being at the Emirates for half the season. He beat Xhaka to join Odegaard and Partey in the midfield trio, whilst Kieran Tierney missed out on the left-back spot to Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arsenal's results with Jorginho from the 2022/23 season
After a drop in form around April, Manchester City dropped away from Arsenal in the title race, and the Gunners were able to wrap up the Premier League title in April. Arteta's side failed to lose another game throughout the rest of the season, ending the season 12 points ahead of Man City in second.
After drawing three of their final five league games, Arsenal ended the season on 99 points, missing out on the century point mark by just one point. The Gunners won 31 and drew six throughout the season, also ending the simulation as the league's top scorers and with the best defence.
It was a fantastic season all around for Arsenal, but it was made even better by their performance in the Europa League. After beating Roma, Manchester United and Union Berlin, the Gunners beat Sevilla 1-0 in the final thanks to a Gabriel Jesus goal to win the Europa League for the first time in their history.
Overall, the Football Manager simulation predicts that Jorginho could solidify an already incredible Arsenal midfield, becoming a regular in the side and helping the Gunners to a Premier League and Europa League double. For £12m, Jorginho could prove to be a perfect signing to help push Arteta's side to success this season.
Will Jorginho be a good signing for Arsenal? Let us know in the comments below!
READ NEXT:
Moises Caicedo to Arsenal transfer hope, Jorginho interest, Cedric exit, Youri Tielemans doubt
Camavinga or Mitoma announcement, Caicedo signs - Arsenal's best and worst transfer deadline day
Four players tipped to sign for Arsenal on deadline day including Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice
Find the footballs on the football.london website to win cash prize, vouchers and TV worth £3,000
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium
