Jorginho: Arsenal sign midfielder from Chelsea in deal worth £12m on Deadline Day | Football News

Arsenal have signed Jorginho from Chelsea in a £12m Deadline Day deal, bolstering their midfield ahead of their push for the Premier League title.

The 31-year-old midfielder has signed an 18-month contract, with an option to extend for a further year.

The Italian is six months into his Chelsea contract, with the Blues attempting to land a record English transfer for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez.

Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal are trying to sign Jorginho from Chelsea in the summer of 2020, after winning the Champions League with the Blues and the year before he lifted the European Championship with Italy.

Arteta was also assistant coach at Manchester City when he tried to sign in 2018 – but Jorginho turned down a move to join Maurizio Sarri instead at Chelsea from Napoli.

Arsenal are short of options in midfield and it was revealed on Deadline Day that Egypt international Mohamed Elneny has suffered a “significant” knee injury.

The club’s statement read: “Following an injury sustained in a recent training session, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Mohamed Elneny has suffered a significant injury to his right knee. Mo has had a successful operation in London and will be sidelined for a long time. .”

There are also active 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 remain adamant the midfielder is not for sale.

Analysis: Carragher positive about Jorginho move

Jamie Carragher from Sky Sports:

“With 10 games left in the season, when maybe he needs a good head, when there is pressure and nerves to go ahead in the title with seven or eight games, he could be an amazing signing in terms of the calm down with a cool head.

“He is a player who has won the Champions League, he has won the European Championship in the last few years, so he is a top player, there is no doubt about that, but he has a different style of player.

“But I think it can be a big help for them at the end of the season because they are nervous.”

FLASHBACK: When Arsenal tried to sign Jorginho on Deadline Day 2020

We’ve been here before with Arsenal looking to sign Jorginho on Deadline Day. Rewind to October 2020 when Mikel Arteta first tried to tempt the Italian to move to London.

Here’s how Sky Sports reported the moment…

Squad depth, Europe, experience … why Arsenal moved for Jorginho

Gail Davis from Sky Sports News:

“People may be surprised, when you look at the profile of the players Arsenal have signed, but Arteta has said when he signed Leandro Trossard that he needs a player who is fit and ready to go straight to the Premier League. What is Jorginho?

“Arsenal are short in the midfield area. The squad looks thin there.

“Europe will start and it will be Thursday-Sunday-Thursday-Sunday and want someone else to come in.

“If you look at where Arsenal are now, they have a great chance to win the Premier League for the first time in 20 years. Arteta knows that the demands on his squad will be greater in the next few months and that’s why he has to sign the body.”

Analysis: Arsenal can’t wait for a new midfielder

Nick Wright from Sky Sports:

One of the most important factors in Arsenal’s success this season has been keeping Partey fit. The Ghanaian was sorely missed during that period on the sidelines last season and Arsenal’s record with and without him proves it.

In fact, factor in the current campaign as well and Arsenal’s win rate stands at 74 per cent of Premier League matches they have started compared to just 50 per cent of their misses.

The quality gulf between him and his deputies, Elneny and Albert Sambi Lokonga, is simply too great and the Egyptian’s injury shows Arsenal’s lack of depth even more clearly.

Waiting until the summer, when the club hopes to sign Declan Rice from West Ham, is now riskier than ever and means action must be taken before the end of the January window.

Arsenal’s schedule has been pretty good since Christmas, but it’s ramped up with four Premier League games in 14 days at the start of February, followed by the resumption of their Europa League campaign in March.

Partey’s workload needs to be managed in order to reduce the risk of injury and this can only be done if Mikel Arteta is given a viable alternative in the 29-year-old’s position.

Arsenal’s recruitment in recent years has focused on the long-term but now, at the top of the Premier League and with the added burden of European commitments looming, a short-term solution is needed.