After Brighton held firm on primary target Moisés Caicedo, Arsenal moved quickly to complete a deadline trade for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho.
Phil Costa takes a look at the Italy international and what he could bring to the team.
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It is often said that sport is focused on moments and Jorginho attributes a significant impact to one in particular. The Imbituba-born midfielder was ready to quit football altogether after discovering he was being financially exploited by his agent, who left him just €25 a week to live on through his teenage years, but was convinced by an emotional phone call with his mother. to continue pursuing his dream.
Since then, that phone call has proven more influential than any agent. The Italian played an integral role in securing Napoli their fifth Coppa Italia title in 2014 after leaving Hellas Verona, before joining Chelsea and winning the Europa League and Champions League under two different managers. He even appeared in every game as Italy won Euro 2020 on English soil, leading him to finish third in the Ballon d’Or standings behind Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, the best performance by any Chelsea player since Frank Lampard. he was runner-up in 2005.
Ranked 3rd place for #ballondor 2021 ⤵️
Jorginho ????????@ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/ypgYd1z80d
– Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@francefootball) November 29, 2021
What makes Jorginho such an obvious signing for the club is his experience playing solely as the lone six. Moises Caicedo is an exciting talent who garnered interest for good reason, but he currently couldn’t replicate what Thomas Partey does on a weekly basis. His best work comes as a roamer, where he can chase the ball, move it fast and shoot transitions. With Mohamed Elneny recently ruled out for the season and Albert Sambi Lokonga leaving on loan, Arsenal suddenly lacked cover for this position and now have the 31-year-old coming in to match Partey (stylistically) while needing little time to settle.
Throughout his career, Jorginho has excelled when allowed to dictate the pace of his teams from the base of midfield. This month I wrote about Jakub Kiwior in charge of the first phase responsibility in Spezia: the Italian took on similar roles for both Napoli and Chelsea, who broke the points record and were European champions respectively. His superpower is his availability, where he constantly finds space to receive the ball from his teammates before creating triangles to avoid pressure. But he is just as comfortable making fizzy passes through the lanes and, when he has the time, shoots wide diagonals, although he clearly operates better in close quarters.
He currently sits in the 92nd percentile for progressive passes (5.4) and moves into the final third (7.3) for 90 among his positional peers across Europe, Opta data, while his 35 short pass completions for 90 leave him in the 95th percentile; highlighting his preference to play under pressure rather than walk away from it.
Playing as the lone six also requires defensive performance and while not the traditional striker type, Jorginho is more than competent in this area. Those unsure of the signing have focused on his (lack of) speed, and while those concerns are valid, his reading of the game often mitigates that weakness. He lacks the physical stature to duel and come out with the ball, instead choosing his moments to jump on people, capitalizing on bad touches, poorly hit passes and those who don’t notice his surroundings.
The 31-year-old is currently averaging more tackles (2.9), interceptions (1.4) and turnovers (8.3) per game than Partey this season, while no other Chelsea teammate can better his winning ability. the ball in defense and midfield. third. There will be times when the midfielder is too easily overlooked; one habit he will have to curb is committing too high up the field and sticking out a tired leg, but those numbers should offer encouragement nonetheless.
Undoubtedly, Mikel Arteta will have to minimize the frequency with which Jorginho is isolated in large spaces. But it’s worth noting that the deepest midfielder in his system is being asked to cover lateral space, not vertical space, which makes all the difference when looking at the flexibility of Benjamin White and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Arsenal are rarely in basketball games like they were with Unai Emery, which has since reduced the amount of stress placed on players.
“Your six must understand the game, it’s vital,” Arteta told MARCA in 2019 when asked about Manchester City’s potential transfer targets.
“Few people can play there alone, to anticipate scenarios, which can be coaches on the court. The Jorginho or Busquets type, that player that I love”.
Arteta and the club have long been fans of Jorginho and attempted to sign him in the summer of 2020, but instead made a late move for Thomas Partey after Chelsea turned down their interest. Almost three years later, they have their man. Someone who, in a similar capacity to Leandro Trossard, comes together with Premier League experience and technical quality to push this team to the limit. Not in a year or two years, but in May.
There is understandable frustration about how Arsenal navigated the January window. Two clear objectives, Mykhailo Mudryk and Caicedo, were pursued and were subsequently not achieved despite lengthy negotiations and the submission of considerable offers. There’s a strong sense of coming back to earth for the fans involved in those deals, punctuated with the nauseating thought of signing another player from the over thirty considered surplus to Chelsea’s requirements.
But the uproar and frustration (much of it towards Edu) is likely stemming from a collective anxiety about what’s at stake this season and sheer desperation to get it done. And it is that Arsenal has a five-point advantage at the top with a pending game and has reinforced its squad with three new additions. Yes, the Italian is moving away from recent acquisitions, but having so successfully rebuilt with a number of young players, the club can afford to add an experienced piece or two along the way to support where necessary.
Jorginho does not make you dream. However, he comes to London Colney as an improvement on current options, with the ideal contract length and a minimal fee that will not affect future spending as Arsenal lick their wounds before the summer.
We have a title to win, and a dream without a plan is just a wish.
