LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 07: Jorginho of Arsenal looks on during the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on January 07, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Veteran Arsenal midfielder Jorginho is set to join Brazilian outfit Flamengo on a 3 year deal when his deal expires with Arsenal this summer. Fabrizio Romano reported that the deal has been in place since January for the player to return to his country of birth.
The move brings the player full circle, having left Brazil at the age of 15.
Brazilian born, Jorginho has Italian descent and moved to Italy as a teenager. He joined the Hellas Verona youth academy, breaking into the first team in 2010.
He earned a moved to Napoli four years later, becoming a standout in Serie and breaking into the Italy setup in 2016. His stock continued to rise for his excellent passing ability and high football IQ.
Sniffing out danger off the ball and breaking the lines with his passing, Jorginho emerged as one of Europe’s best midfielders. So much so that Chelsea shelled out over £50 million to sign him in 2018. He enjoyed his most fruitful career stint with the Blues, winning the Champions League in 2021, adding to his 2020 Euro triumph with Italy.
He made 143 Premier League appearances over 4 and a half years with the club – also winning a Europa League, Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup.
Jorginho to leave the Premier League
His form propelled him a to a third-place finish behind Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski in the 2021 Ballon d’Or vote, the same year he won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award.
The 33 year old joined Arsenal in a £12 million in January of 2023, and has played mainly a supporting role in Arteta’s side. Deputizing for Thomas Party and Declan Rice during times of rotation, he has proved a useful option, enjoying the occasional run in the side and providing leadership to a young hungry Arsenal side.
Arsenal fans will remember fondly his screamer that crashed off the crossbar before deflecting off the back of Emi Martinez and rolling into an empty Villa net in their 4-2 comeback win in 2023. He has popped up with some defence splitting passes to set up dangerous attacks and has been an overall successful -albeit short lived – signing for the Gunners.
The player was widely expected to depart the club this summer, given the short length of his initial deal (18 months) and his age. No news surfaced about talks for a renewed contract, while links to Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi all but confirmed there would be a change in the engine room at the Emirates.
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