Arsenal sign Jorginho from Chelsea for £12m
Arsenal have signed Jorginho from Chelsea in a Deadline Day deal worth £12m, boosting their midfield ahead of a push for the Premier League title.
The 31-year-old Italy midfielder has signed an 18-month contract, with an option to extend for a further year.
Jorginho was into the final six months of his Chelsea contract, with the Blues trying to land a British record transfer for Benfica central midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal tried to sign Jorginho from Chelsea in the summer of 2020, just after he won the Champions League with the Blues and the year before he lifted the European Championships with Italy.
Arteta was also the assistant coach at Manchester City when they tried to sign him in 2018 – but Jorginho turned down the move to join Maurizio Sarri instead at Chelsea from Napoli.
Speaking to the Arsenal website about Arteta, Jorginho said: “He 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.
“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.”
Arsenal are short on options in midfield and revealed on Deadline Day Egypt international Mohamed Elneny has suffered a “significant” knee injury.
A club statement read: “Following an injury sustained in a recent training session, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny has a significant injury to his right knee. Mo has had successful surgery in London and will be ruled out for an extended period of time.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga is due to join Crystal Palace on loan. There are also ongoing injury concerns over Thomas Partey, who has picked up a rib injury.
The Gunners twice bid for Moises Caicedo in the final week of the January window but Brighton remained adamant the midfielder was not for sale.
