Jorginho reveals why he left Chelsea to join Arsenal in January

January signing Jorginho has revealed that Mikel Arteta was a major influence in him leaving Chelsea and joining the Gunners. 

Fans were initially sceptical about the Italian’s arrival given the club’s history of signing Chelsea cast-offs and such doubts were exacerbated by the player’s underwhelming debut off the bench at Goodison Park.

Thus, some feared the worst when Thomas Partey succumbed to yet another muscle injury, but Jorginho has since performed impressively in his absence. He was arguably Arsenal’s standout performer in their 3-1 defeat to Man City, and he had a major say in the 4-2 victory at Villa Park on Saturday.

While the midfielder is certainly flawed, he’s already shown that he could aid the club’s title charge down the stretch,

Jorginho reveals why he left Chelsea to join Arsenal in January

Jorginho spent four-and-a-half years with Chelsea before switching west London for north at the end of the January transfer window. Arsenal were desperate to provide further cover for Partey and turned to the Italian after failing to land Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.

The 31-year-old, who won the Champions League during his stint at Stamford Bridge, arrived on a cut-price £12m deal as his contract was expiring in the summer. The player has since revealed there were multiple reasons for his Chelsea departure, but confirmed that Arteta was “one of the reasons” why he opted to join Arsenal.

“It’s one of the reasons, surely,” he told DAZN (via Football Italia).

“He called me and it was all very quick, we made the deal in less than 48 hours. I had spoken to Chelsea and I knew I was no longer part of their plans. I wanted to progress in my career and the Arsenal project suits me.

“It’s a young team that plays good football and fits my characteristics. I considered every scenario and made the decision. Sometimes you must accept when you are out of a project and that things come to an end,” he added.

Many will claim that Jorginho has already fulfilled expectations following Saturday’s events, but there’s still a long way to go in the current season. Partey’s injury record suggests he might have a greater say in Arsenal’s cause than some might’ve predicted, but he’s shown thus far that supporters have little to fear should the Ghanaian be forced to watch from the sidelines.