‘Arsenal called me and I said yes to joining straightaway – there was no hesitation'

Arsenal star Jorginho has confessed that the decision to join Mikel Arteta’s squad from Chelsea was a straightforward one. The 32-year-old midfielder joined the Blues in 2018 for a reported £53million, following Maurizio Sarri – his manager at Napoli for three years – to Stamford Bridge.

He had a successful stint with the Blues, clinching a Europa League title – ironically against the Gunners – and the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel. Beyond the Premier League, he also savoured victory at Euro 2020 with his home country.

However, when Arteta rang, Jorginho admitted there was no hesitation. The project the Spaniard was building in north London was too enticing to refuse.

“It happened really quick, because it was in the last two days of the transfer window closing. I saw that my time at Chelsea was basically finished there,” Jorginho revealed on the Seaman Says podcast via Betway.

“I didn’t feel part of the project anymore, and sometimes you just need to accept and move on. When I had the call, I didn’t think twice because I knew that Mikel [Arteta] tried to sign me before and it didn’t happen.

“I saw the way the team was playing, which suits my qualities, and I believed that I could add to the team so it was a yes, straight away.”

Jorginho, who joined the Gunners for £12m back in January 2023, swiftly integrated into an Arsenal midfield set to be reshuffled later that year, with West Ham stalwart Declan Rice sealing his monumental £100m switch as Granit Xhaka bid farewell, reports the Mirror.

Despite Arsenal’s dogged title pursuits with Jorginho in their squad, Manchester City have persistently pipped them at the post. Quizzed on whether Arteta’s premature vote of confidence was instrumental in his move, the midfielder revealed: “That helps a lot.”

“You know where you are going, what to expect, and everything is so organised and projected in a way that you see that it’s going to work out well. Being part of a project like that is something you’d be proud of. So there was no hesitation.”

Sealing his future at Arsenal, Jorginho penned a fresh short-term deal this May, following his initial 18-month stint that was scheduled to conclude this summer.