Arsenal's dressing room reaction spoke volumes when Jorginho joined from Chelsea

21 October 2023 , 05:45

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Arsenal's dressing room reaction spoke volumes when Jorginho joined from Chelsea

There's no love lost between Arsenal and Chelsea, but Jorginho has a foot in both camps ahead of Saturday's derby showdown.

The Italian midfield maestro, 31, spent four-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge before crossing the capital to sign for the Gunners in January. And the cultured playmaker will be out to get one over his former teammates at the weekend when he returns to SW6.

With Arsenal in the thick of the title race, Mikel Arteta was in the market for an experienced operator to bolster his options in the engine room. Jorginho, a seasoned pro with a winning pedigree from his trophy-laden stint with the Gunners' neighbours, fit the bill.

And while the majority of fans on social media were seemingly less than enthused with the midfielder's arrival, the capture of the veteran was regarded as a coup by those inside the Arsenal dressing room.

According to a report from The Athletic at the time, news of Jorginho's arrival was met with ‘quite a lot of excitement from the players and staff’, who were buoyed by his impressive resume.

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The former Napoli ace won the Champions League and both domestic cups with Chelsea and also possessed experience of challenging for the title; something that many of Arsenal's young squad lacked last year.

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Jorginho joined Arsenal from Chelsea back in January (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Arteta alluded to that in comments made shortly after the surprise deal had been wrapped up. Speaking back in February, the Spaniard said: “Jorginho is a player I’d always admired and I’ve known him a long time. He’s got the leadership, the skills, the intelligence and the experience in this league that not a lot of players have.

“He’s 31, he’s not 38 so his best years are still ahead of him. When I spoke to him, he was really enthusiastic about the team so for me, it was a no-brainer.”

Despite hopes that Jorginho could help Arsenal across the line in the title race, the Gunners eventually succumbed to the inevitable juggernaut that is Manchester City, who cantered to another domestic crown in the final weeks of the campaign after a string of slip-ups from Arteta's men.

The arrival of Declan Rice in a blockbuster £105million deal has restricted Jorginho to just one Premier League start this term, but his experience behind closed doors could prove invaluable in Arsenal's bid to end City's domestic monopoly. And the former Chelsea favourite could yet help Arteta mastermind another memorable result against the Blues in the meantime.

Dan Marsh