Morning all.
As we head towards the end of May, we’re getting very close to the opening of the first transfer window. Window 1. The mini-window. Call it what you want. This is the one that is open so clubs competing in the outright abomination that is the Club World Cup (I’m going to have to work hard to ensure that people understand how I feel about this competition whenever I mention it), can add to their squads before this pointless, cursed tournament begins.
One of the teams involved is Flamengo, and you’ll probably know by now that they’ve done a deal to sign Jorginho at the end of his contract. Typically, player contracts run until June 30th, so I imagine some kind of dispensation have been given to the Italian international to leave on a free before that. He can then hook up with his new club and his new teammates, and play in Infantino’s Ego Party.
In a video posted on his social media channels, he said goodbye and thanks to the club and the fans:
I gave everything I had, every day, every match, not just for the results, but for this shirt, for the fans. Your support, it meant everything, whether I was starting or on the bench. You made me feel valued, loved. That’s rare in football and I will never forget. Now, it’s time to say goodbye or maybe I’ll see you soon.
When a place feels like home, a farewell is never easy, but I leave with my head held high and my heart full. To my teammates, thank you for trusting me, for pushing me. To the coach, the staff and the whole people behind the scenes, thank you for the support on the pitch, off the pitch and for always being there for me with kindness and love.
And to the fans, thank you for singing my name, for believing in me. Thank you, Arsenal.
I have to say when we signed him I was a bit underwhelmed. Ok, a lot underwhelmed. It came in the month we were being linked strongly with Mykhaylo Mudryk and also Moises Caicedo – and in the end we ended up with Jorginho and Leandro Trossard. For the price we paid for both, I think we’ve got good value from those January deals, but I have to admit his skippity-hoppity penalty used to wind me up, so it took some time for me to warm to him.
The other thing, of course, is that he came with the Chelsea baggage. ‘Not another one’. Down the years we’ve had too many who didn’t work out. William Gallas, give me strength. To this day he remains very close to the top of my list of players I could not stand to see in red and white. Petr Cech – I know I’m in a minority here, but I’d nearly have preferred Manuel Almunia. I thought he was basically useless for us, over the hill and left behind by the modern game. Willian, give me even more strength. Especially when he subsequently went on to be useful elsewhere after his departure. And look – if you’re being very kind you’d say he was the wrong player at the wrong time, but fans know when someone isn’t pulling their weight, and he seemed to have a lot of extra-weight he couldn’t be arsed even trying to pull.
So, then you’re linked with Jorginho and your natural instinct is aversion. Even if the season before he’d come third in the Ballon D’Or. He felt a few years too old, although it’s worth pointing out he’s player Mikel Arteta had wanted to sign very early on in his tenure, first linked in 2020. What we came to understand is that Jorginho is a model pro, technically excellent, and a real team player. He brings a lot to the collective, on and off the pitch. I think in the end he was a couple of years too old, the physical side of the game could expose him at times, but you never saw him amble around like Willian did. He gave you 100%, and fans connect with that.
He seemed like a decent guy too, never complained about a lack of playing time, and his willingness to help the team was evident even if his contribution came from the sidelines as he was warming up. It doesn’t hurt when you smack a shot off the crossbar and in off the back of Emi Martinez’s head either. There was a game at Newcastle too where I thought he was genuinely outstanding, an illustration that footballing intelligence can usurp power and the opposition’s willingness to play a physical game (when they’re not being allowed elbow him in the back of the head without sanction).
In the end though, 28 Premier League starts in two and a half years tells its own story really. I will say I got over my aversion to yet another Chelsea player, and grew to appreciate Jorginho and what he brought to the squad. But I do wonder if part of the affection is contextual. You experience things in the past (Gallas, Cech, Willian) which are pretty awful, so expect more of the same, then you’re pleasantly surprised when it turns out differently. I think, for me anyway, there’s a bit of that with him.
Which isn’t to say he didn’t contribute or wasn’t a useful squad member, but when the bar is set so low, it’s not that difficult to be better than what came before. To frame it a different way, in his entire time at Arsenal, Jorginho played fewer minutes than William Saliba and Declan Rice did this season alone. Nice guy, good player, big personality around the training ground and there’s no doubt some of our players will have learned a lot from someone who won plenty in his career, but a space in the squad that we can certainly improve on. Personally, I’d be quite happy to let both our midfield veterans go this summer, but it does look as he’s the only one in the departure lounge.
Anyway, I don’t mean to sound churlish at all. I like Jorginho. I think we squeezed some decent value out of a £12m signing, and I wish him good luck in Brazil. I suspect given his personality, he’s someone who will become an interesting figure when he stops playing and almost certainly goes into coaching, but for now, it’s thank you, and all the best.
I’ll leave it there for this morning. Have a good one.
