Arsenal have confirmed the permanent signing of Chelsea midfielder Jorginho after striking an agreement for £12million.
The Italian midfielder has put pen to paper on an 18-month contract at the Emirates after finding himself on the periphery of the Chelsea squad in recent months.
The transfer sees Mikel Arteta’s search for a central midfielder come to an end after their pursuit of Brighton star Moises Caicedo came to unsuccessful conclusion this week.
Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Chelsea midfielder Jorginho for a £12million fee
The Italian midfielder has moved from Chelsea to the Gunners on an 18-month contract
The club confirmed that Jorginho has agreed an 18-month deal with the Premier League leaders after both clubs agreed on a £12million fee.
‘He [Arteta] 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,’ Jorginho said.
‘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.
Jorginho will wear the No. 20 shirt for Arsenal after completing his switch from Chelsea
‘It’s an important shirt. It’s an amazing club, a big one, and I’m really excited and happy to be here.’
Arteta praised the Italian for his career and welcomed him to Arsenal.
‘Jorginho is a midfield player with intelligence, deep leadership skills and a huge amount of Premier League and international experience,’ he said.
‘Jorginho has won in his career, but he still has the hunger and huge willingness to contribute here.
‘We are so pleased to sign Jorginho and welcome him and his family to the club.’
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta praised Jorginho’s career and said he would be a welcome addition
Negotiations over the Champions League winner moved quickly after the two clubs began discussing a potential transfer on the eve of transfer Deadline Day.
Arsenal were eager to sign Caicedo, but saw their £70million bid rejected – having previously tabled an offer of £60million on Friday and then £65m plus a further £5m in add-ons on Sunday.
Still keen to sign a midfielder in January, they turned their attention to Jorginho – who had been linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge anyway.
The 31-year-old’s contract at the club was set to expire this summer and the potential arrival of Enzo Fernandez would have pushed him further out the picture.
The Italian internatinal played a huge role in Chelsea’s Champions League success in 2020-21
Jorginho arrived at Stamford Bridge from Napoli in 2018, signing a deal worth £50m. He went on feature 213 times for club, score 29 goals and register nine assists.
However, the 31-year-old has struggled for form recently – with the Blues currently sitting 10th in the Premier League table.
During his time with Chelsea, he won a Champions League, a Europa League, a Super Cup and a Club World Cup.
He also won the 2020 Euros with Italy before being named as UEFA Men’s Player of the Year a few months later.
The 31-year-old also won the most recent Euros tournament after victory over England
The Gunners have been seeking reinforcements all window and were hopeful of striking a deal to sign Brighton midfielder Caicedo – but that hasn’t happened.
Sportsmail were first to reveal last Friday that the 21-year-old was desperate to force through a move to either Arsenal or Chelsea.
Caicedo took to social media, pleading with Brighton to let him leave, then on Saturday he did not appear for training – though the Seagulls insist that was their decision.
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said Brighton are ‘ready to go forward’ without Caicedo however the Gunners were not able to get a deal over the line and turned to the Italian midfielder instead.
Arsenal were unable to land their primary target which was Brighton’s Moises Caicedo
It’s understood that Chelsea’s record-breaking move for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez played a role in Jorginho’s west London exit.
The Blues are close to completing a deal for the Argentina international and sent a private jet to Lisbon in order to finalise the transfer on Deadline Day.
As well, with Graham Potter’s side boasting a plethora of midfield talent, they felt adequately staffed in that area to allow the Italian to join their close rivals.
It had been suggested that either Jorginho or N’Golo Kante would leave – with both of their contracts expiring in summer – but it’s now reported that the Frenchman is close to signing a new deal at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Fernandez’s imminent arrival at Chelsea meant they’d be overstaffed in midfield .
source: dailymail.co.uk
