Jorginho completes surprise Arsenal transfer from Chelsea

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:09 CDT
• 3 min read

Arsenal have confirmed that they have signed Jorginho from Chelsea.

The Italy international midfielder has moved for a fee in the region of £12 million (€15m) and has signed a deal that runs until 2024.

The two London clubs agreed on a transfer fee on Tuesday morning, with the Italy international giving his approval to the deal.

READ MORE: January 2022-23 done deals

Jorginho’s contract at Stamford Bridge was due to expire at the end of the season and there was little chance of him penning a renewal.

The Blues paid tribute to him on their official website via a message of goodbye, signing off with: "A friendly and funny guy off the pitch, Jorginho leaves Chelsea with 213 appearances to his name and four winners’ medals, none more precious than the 2021 Champions League success in which he played a major part."

Arsenal pounced in the closing hours of the window as they were desperate to sign a central midfielder to bolster their squad.

The Gunners had been working on signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton for a club-record fee but found negotiations difficult.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is said to be a big fan of Jorginho and personally requested his signing.

Arteta believes that Jorginho’s quality and experience will help Arsenal win their first league title since 2004.

The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League, five points clear of Manchester City with a game in hand.

Jorginho career at Chelsea

Jorginho joined Chelsea from Napoli in 2018 for €64m and made 213 appearances, scoring 29 goals.

He played a pivotal role in the club winning the Champions League in 2021, and also picked up a Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Despite his success, he has never been a huge hit with Chelsea fans.

His best year was in 2021 when he also was one of the players of the tournament at Euro 2020 as Italy won their first European Championship since 1968. This led to Jorginho finishing third in the Ballon d'Or race that year.

The 31-year-old has won 46 caps for his adopted nation Italy.