Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has told ESPN Brazil that Arsenal wanted to sign him in the summer transfer window.
The Italy international has also suggested that he was open to a move from Chelsea to London and Premier League rivals Arsenal.
However, the 28-year-old has made it clear that he is now fully committed to the Blues.
ESPN reported on October 3 that Arsenal were looking to secure the services of the former Napoli star. The Mirror reported on October 4 the Gunners’ interest in Jorginho, who is rated highly by Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola.
Zola said about the Italian midfielder on Sky Sports News (12:08pm, October 5, 2020): “Jorgo is not a player who has got a lot of physicality, a lot of mobility, so he cannot cover a huge space of ground, but he is very intelligent, he is always in the right places, and if he has got somebody who can help him, then he can make a big difference because when you give the ball to him, he always dictates the right passes, always available to support players that have the ball, that are in trouble. In that kind of things Jorgo is unique, so it’s just about getting the best out of him.”
Jorginho told ESPN Brazil about Arsenal’s interest in him, as trancribed by Goal.com: “I believe that every player is open to negotiations. So I believe there was something they talked about.
“And in the end it was decided that I remain here. Now my head is here and we’re going to do a great job with Chelsea, which I always wanted to do.”
Arsenal have moved on
Arsenal moved on from Jorginho quickly, as the Gunners signed Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid on the final day of the summer transfer window.
According to BBC Sport, the Gunners had to pay Atletico his full release clause of £45.3 million to secure the services of the Ghana international.
The 27-year-old is a very good defensive midfielder who can also push the team forward.
The former Atletico star made his full debut for the Gunners in the Europa League on Thursday, and his performance impressed manager Mikel Arteta, who told Football.London: “He looked really solid, really comfortable.
“He held midfield by himself in the second half when we were a little bit more open and starting to take more chances attacking certain places with some players.”
According to WhoScored, Partey took one shot which was not on target, played one key pass, had a pass accuracy of 90.2%, won four headers, took 102 touches, attempted one dribble, and made five tackles, one interception and one clearance.
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