MIKEL ARTETA finally got the midfield reinforcement he wanted when Arsenal completed a £12million deal for Chelsea veteran Jorginho.
The League leaders made a last-ditch swoop for the 31-year-old Italian international after finally calling off their pursuit of Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
They were ready to pay a club record £75million for Ecuador international Caceido after two earlier bids had been knocked back, but Brighton made it clear that they were not selling at any price.
And Jorginho’s Emirates arrival could not have been more perfectly timed after it was confirmed that Mohamed Elneny is likely to be out for the rest of the season after undergoing a knee operation.
Arteta had already been sweating over his lack of options in the middle of the pitch when Thomas Partey suffered a rib injury during last week’s FA Cup defeat at Manchester City.
And though scans have confirmed that Partey’s injury is not serious, his absence during the second-half at the Etihad last week highlighted Arsenal’s lack of options in a key area of the team.
Now Jorginho has arrived to plug that hole, signing an 18-month contract with the option for a further year.
He said: “Mikel Arteta was a big influence on my decision because I know that he tried a few times to get me before.
“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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“I’ll try to bring positive energy, hard work and my experience to help the team. It’s what I always bring with me.
“I try just to help with the experience I’ve had in my time with the other clubs and anything I can do just to help the team to achieve more and more, that’s my target.”
Arteta added: “Jorginho is a player with intelligence, deep leadership skills and a huge amount of Premier League and international experience.
“He has won many things in his career, but he still has the hunger and huge willingness to contribute here.”
The Brazilian-born midfielder spent five seasons at Chelsea after following Maurizio Sarri from Napoli in a £50million deal and won both the Champions League and the Europa League during his time at Stamford Bridge.
He was also a key figure when Italy beat England in the European Championships final in 2021.
Arteta had first tried to sign Jorginho in the summer of 2020 but was knocked back by Chelsea before signing Partey from Atletico Madrid in a £45million deal.
And the Arsenal boss is confident the player’s vast experience and calm authority on the ball will prove vital for his young team in their title run-in.
He became the club’s third recruit of the January window, following £26million Leandro Trossard and £21million Jakub Kiwior.
Those arrivals have allowed Albert Sambi Lokonga (Crystal Palace), Cedric Soares (Fulham) and Marquinhos (Norwich) to all go out on loan for the rest of the season.
But Jorginho’s signing will not affect Arsenal’s plans to launch a £90million summer move for West Ham skipper Declan Rice and they could also try again for Caceido, although not at the price they were prepared to pay this month.
