Jorginho could become the latest Chelsea cast-off to join Arsenal and may take them to next level 

It’s no secret what Arsenal are looking for as the transfer window nears its October 5 deadline and now Mikel Arteta appears to have turned a little closer to home in search of a new midfielder.

The Gunners have finally addressed their long-standing defensive issues with the arrivals of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba while few can question what they offer in attack.

Arteta’s Arsenal already looks far superior to that of Unai Emery but they remain a side lacking quality in the centre of the park.

Arsenal are showing interest in Chelsea midfielder Jorginho as they search for midfielders

The Gunners need midfielders with Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi out of favour

The likes of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi have fallen out of favour while players such as Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny will never be enough to be able to challenge for the Premier League title.

The Gunners have been strongly linked with Lyon’s Houssem Aouar and Atletico Madrid‘s Thomas Partey throughout the summer but a surprise name entered the mix this week.

That was Chelsea midfielder Jorginho who, according to Sky Sports, is now a target for Arteta.

The Arsenal boss was part of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City set-up when they tried to sign the Italian from Napoli back in 2018. 

Guardiola and City were left furious when Jorginho ended up at Stamford Bridge, straining relations between the Premier League club and Napoli. 

Jorginho could follow in the footsteps of Willian (L) and David Luiz (R) by joining Arsenal

A disciple of Maurizio Sarri’s possession-based style, Jorginho was brought into Chelsea to be the brains of the Italian’s team after playing under Sarri in Naples.

Sitting at the base of a midfield three, Jorginho would conduct from the pitch and be the launch pad for Chelsea’s attacks. 

But Jorginho has never quite won over the Chelsea faithful since his £57m arrival and his slow, turgid displays were the embodiment of Sarri’s failure to implement his style in west London.

While Sarri was gone after his first season had barely finished, Jorginho stayed put but has not endeared himself to the club’s supporters in Frank Lampard’s new system. 

Still, he has made 100 appearances for the London outfit, contributing 10 goals and three assists. 

Arteta was part of Manchester City’s set-up when they almost signed Jorginho in 2018

And a lot of what he does goes unnoticed. 

On his day he is one of the finest one-touch passers in world football and the thought of him playing in an Arsenal team more tailored to his skills is one that will surely concern fans of his current club.

Last season Jorginho completed 2,257 passes in 2,382 minutes of top flight action, one of the best per-game records in the league. He has a reputation for playing the ball sideways but his tally of 16 through balls was only bettered by three others.

He is a player that should thrive with a team built around him, under a more tactical manager in a possession-based system. 

And that is what he would have at Arsenal, Arteta’s team adopting a similar approach to that of former mentor Guardiola, who let’s remember wanted to sign him.  

Jorginho not only averaged more passes and touches than Guendouzi, Torreira, Dani Ceballos and Xhaka last season, he averaged more tackles too.

He could be the kind of composed and assured presence that Arsenal have been lacking in that area of the pitch for years now, the heartbeat of the team if you like.

His technique is unquestioned while he possessed some of the best defensive numbers of any midfielder in the top flight last season, averaging 2.49 tackles, 2.42 interceptions and 9.32 ball recoveries.

There is a good argument to be made that he would instantly become Arsenal’s best midfielder, so it’s hard to argue at the very least that he wouldn’t improve them. 

Used rightly, Jorginho could take take them to the next level. 

Jorginho started Chelsea’s first two Premier League matches this season but players moving from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates is by no means unheard of.

In fact the Italy international would be the third to make the switch in the space of 13 months with David Luiz and Willian having decided to join Arsenal in their twilight years. Petr Cech did it before them, as did William Gallas, Lassana Diarra and Yossi Benayoun on loan.

Olivier Giroud and Ashley Cole, meanwhile, swapped north for west London and Cesc Fabregas, Nicolas Anelka and Emmanuel Petit represented both clubs but never moved between them.

Willian already looks a sharp signing and he may have to go back to Chelsea once more this summer in the hope of finding the missing piece in his midfield in Jorginho.