Why Jorginho’s Transfer to Arsenal Makes Sense

During the immense tension of Caicedo to Arsenal rumors, an alternative name popped up- Jorginho. Many Arsenal fans, including myself weren’t too happy about it, but the more I learn about the player, the more this signing makes sense. In this article, I will try and explain why Jorginho is the best possible alternative that Arsenal could recruit.

Jorginho is a regista, a deep lying playmaker in terms of profile. He operates deep, has good technical qualities, and he specializes in passing. He progresses the ball by passing rather than carrying, and he’s really good at it. He is defensively quite sound, and wins duels consistently, as long as he doesn’t have to defend large spaces.

Jorginho’s best quality is his ability control the tempo, and dictate the play. He is a volume passer, and pips long balls often. In terms of passes attempted and completed, he’s in the top 10% among midfielders in Europe. He can slow down the tempo to our liking, and impose better control.

Some people complain that he only passes sideways and backwards. Jorginho is one of the best progressive passers in Europe, averaging almost 6 per game. In terms of passing into the final third, he’s in the top 7%. A proper progression specialist.

He is technically adequate, just not the most athletic player in the side. He receives the ball under pressure, and he’s among the top 10% in Europe when it comes to that. He’s press resistant, and dubbed as a very intelligent player who reads the situations well.

Defensively, he is very good, unlike what many think, including myself. Reads the situations well, wins ground duels very often, and an imposing ball winner atb. He’s among the top 10% in Europe when it comes to tackles and interceptions.

Talking about his limitations, a couple things comes to mind- athleticism and physicality. He could be a defensive liability in transitions, if he has to defend large spaces, because he can’t make the ground often.

But Arsenal are one of the most compact sides in the league, with the fullbacks covering the space in transition, so it’s going to be very rare for him to be isolated in transitions. In duels, he is very, very strong.

So, how is Mikel going to use him? For now, many alternative options come to mind. For instance, in a double pivot when Zinchenko is unavailable, as a lone 6 when Partey is out, to break low blocks, to see the game off late etc. In essence, he will offer the required tactical flexibility to shuffle things around and change the outcome.

All in all, overlooking the athleticism issue, he’s been a top buy. The issue shouldn’t be that big a deal in Arsenal’s compact shape, and he should strive in this new environment. Mikel and Edu has brought the best possible alternative, yet again.