Experienced midfielder may never play for Arsenal again due to injury

Mikel Arteta is hopeful that Jorginho will return from injury before the end of the season, but there's a chance that the experienced midfielder has already played his final game for the club.

The Italian suffered a rib injury during the forgettable 1-1 draw with Brentford on 12 April and has been absent from subsequent matchday squads. Arteta previously described the setback as "specific and difficult", suggeting last week that it was unlikely for the veteran midfielder to be available for the first leg of Arsenal's Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Jorginho has only played a sporadic role since joining the club from Chelsea two years ago, but he's a highly valued member of Arteta's dressing room. The 33-year-old extended his stay in north London for another year last May, but now looks set to move on following the expiration of his contract in June.

Thus, if he doesn't recover from his complicated injury before the end of the season, it's very likely that Jorginho has already played his final game for the Gunners.

Jorginho's rib injury could call premature end to Arsenal career

The boss was asked on the veteran's condition ahead of Wednesday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace: “For Jorginho, I think unfortunately it will be a few weeks," he responded (via afcstuff on X).

“I hope so [Jorginho is back before the end of the season], but I’m not certain, so we have to see how he evolves in the next few days, I would say a few weeks.

“The doctor was quite cautious still about talking about any dates, so let’s see. The good news is that he’s improving, he’s feeling much better. It was quite a scary situation, and he’s in a good place now.”

If fit, Jorginho would've been expected to offer Arteta's starting midfielders respite for their remaining European outings. He recently started Premier League outings against Everton and Brentford, and would've allowed the likes of Thomas Partey and Declan Rice to rest while they focused on taming PSG's stellar triumvirate in the middle of the park.

Partey, like Jorginho, looks set to move on as a free agent in the summer, with the club so far opting against bringing either player to the negotiating table. While Partey may believe he's still capable of performing at the highest level, Jorginho could decide to earn one final big pay day by moving to the Saudi Pro League. Clubs in MLS and Brazil are also said to be interested.

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