Arsenal are set to announce the signing of Jorginho, and while some fans are not convinced, there is a feeling of excitement among the squad.
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho visited Arsenal’s London Colney training ground on Tuesday afternoon to complete a medical and sign a contract with the club until June 2024 with the option of a further year. The 31-year-old midfielder will cost Arsenal an initial fee of £10million, with a further £2m due in add-ons.
The decision to sign Jorginho came after Arsenal failed to convince Brighton to part with star player Moises Caicedo. The Gunners made two bids for the Ecuador international, with the second worth a total of £70m, but saw both rejected out of hand by Brighton.
Caicedo, who was also chased by Chelsea, made it clear that he wanted to leave the Seagulls for Arsenal, but the club made a definitive stance not to budge. Arsenal, therefore, changed tack to target Jorginho and make him their third signing of the January transfer window, after Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior.
It seems the move has gone down badly among some Arsenal fans, with #EduOut trending on Twitter on Tuesday morning. A minority of supporters are angry that the Arsenal sporting director has failed to land the number one target and had instead gone for a shorter-term deal for a player from a direct rival.
That is not the feeling inside the Arsenal dressing room, though. The Athletic says that the news of Jorginho's imminent arrival has been met with ‘quite a lot of excitement from the players and staff’, who are happy to see an experienced player with trophies on his CV arrive.
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Jorginho has won the Champions League and Europa League since joining Chelsea in a £50m deal from Napoli in July 2018. He was also instrumental in helping Italy win Euro 2020 with a victory over England on penalties at Wembley.
Arsenal are in need of reinforcements in midfield after Thomas Partey suffered a rib injury in the 1-0 defeat by Manchester City last Friday and Mohamed Elneny’s knee injury was confirmed as a serious one.
Jorginho’s arrival could prompt the departure of Albert Sambi Lokonga on loan to Crystal Palace until the end of the season.
Jorginho was due to become a free agent on July 1 when his Chelsea contract expired. The move is therefore beneficial for all parties, with the Blues happy to achieve a sizeable transfer fee for a player who was poised to leave for free this summer.
Chelsea are busy trying to tie up a deal for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez on deadline day. The 21-year-old Argentina international could be arriving at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea submitted a £115m bid to Benfica – a fee which would represent a Premier League record.
