Jorginho is Mikel Arteta’s eyes and ears on the pitch – that is why Arsenal want to keep him
Jorginho does not score many goals, and he does not assist many either. He does not fly into tackles or produce the most dazzling long-range passes. In truth, he does not do many of the things that Arsenal fans would usually associate with the club’s best midfielders.
Ask Mikel Arteta about the 32-year-old, though, and the Arsenal manager will point to a quality that is more important than any of those more eye-catching attributes. “He makes the people around him better,” said Arteta earlier this season. “He connects everybody.”
It is this ability, above everything else, that explains why Arsenal have handed Jorginho a new deal in north London. The Italian is a midfielder who, on and off the field, helps to keep the engine running.
A hugely popular member of the squad and one of its natural leaders, Jorginho is the Arsenal player with the most experience at the highest level. When he plays, he is so often Arteta’s eyes and ears on the pitch. When he does not play, he becomes an additional coach on the sidelines, screaming instructions and moving his team-mates into position.
“He represents what we stand for here at Arsenal with his professionalism and success,” said Edu, Arsenal’s sporting director. “I know everyone at the club will be very excited that Jorgi will continue to be with us, not only the players and coaches, but all the staff behind the scenes as well.”
Within the club and the Arsenal fanbase, a new deal for Jorginho has been regarded by most as a no-brainer. The issue was not whether Arsenal would offer him a new contract, but whether Jorginho would want to accept one. He will know that he is not guaranteed to be a regular starter next season.
It is therefore a measure of his happiness at Arsenal, as well as his faith in his own ability, that he has decided to stay at the club for at least one more year. He will expect to contribute next season and, theoretically, there is no reason why his form will drop off. He was never blessed with pace, so it is not like his game has changed for the worse as he has aged.
“I feel that I have more to do,” Jorginho said upon signing this new deal. “I try to give everything I can of myself, to everyone around. Sometimes that can be a cuddle, sometimes it can be words, sometimes show them something. So I just try to help as much as I can in any situation. I feel that everyone here can count on me. I will always be there for them.”
When Jorginho joined the club from Chelsea, in the January window of 2023, the initial reaction from many Arsenal supporters was scepticism. There were reasonable concerns: previous arrivals from Chelsea, especially Willian, had not impressed at the Emirates Stadium, and it felt like a departure from Arsenal’s model of signing young, hungry players.
It speaks volumes of Jorginho’s quality, and of his obvious impact on the team, that he so quickly won over those doubters. When he made a rare error in the north London derby earlier this season, effectively giving away a goal after losing possession in midfield, the home fans responded by chanting his name.
“It means a lot,” he said of his relationship with the club’s supporters. “And that’s one more reason for signing the contract because I feel I can and I want to give more to them, because they’ve been giving a lot of affection and support to me. All I want is to give it back.”
On the most basic level, Arsenal’s intention is to strengthen their midfield this summer. Losing Jorginho would have undoubtedly weakened it, especially with uncertainty over the future of Thomas Partey. The former Chelsea player has been one of Arsenal’s shrewdest signings and there will not be a single player or coach who doubts his importance to the Arteta project.
