EPL

Jorginho excited to work under Arteta after 'surprise' Arsenal move

By Sports Desk January 31, 2023

Jorginho is relishing the chance to play under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal after his "surprising" move from Premier League rivals Chelsea went through on deadline day.

Arsenal are reported to have paid £12million to Chelsea to get a deal over the line in time, having failed in their attempt to bring in Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Italy international provides another option for the Premier League leaders in central midfield after losing Mohamed Elneny to a "significant" knee injury.

And Jorginho revealed in his first interview as an Arsenal player that it was a transfer a long time in the making, with manager Arteta having tried previously to sign him.

"[Arteta] was a big influence. I know he tried a few times to get me before and it didn't happen due to other reasons, not because of my wishes," he told Arsenal's website.

"So of course, he had a big influence. Now I'm very excited for this new challenge, and I just can't wait to be on the pitch to be honest."

Jorginho boasts plenty of experience, having made more than 500 club appearances in his career and represented Italy 46 times.

Arsenal's interest in the Brazil-born midfielder only became public on Monday and he signed an 18-month contract at Emirates Stadium the following day.

"Everything has happened so fast. I was a bit surprised, but I took the opportunity of this amazing challenge," he added.

"It's an important shirt. It's an amazing club, a big one, and I'm really excited and happy to be here.

"I'll try to just bring positive energy, hard work and my experience to help the team. It's what I always bring with me. 

"I try just to help with the experience I've had in my time with the other clubs and anything I can do just to help the team to achieve more and more, that's my target.

"All I can promise is that I'm going to give my all to represent this club."

Jorginho has been handed the number 20 shirt and is in line to make his debut for Arsenal in Saturday's Premier League trip to Everton.

Related items

  • Martinez sends warning to Tuchel over possible Barry appointment Martinez sends warning to Tuchel over possible Barry appointment

    Roberto Martinez has told Thomas Tuchel that Anthony Barry will remain part of Portugal's coaching staff even if he swaps Chelsea for Bayern Munich. 

    Tuchel revealed at Saturday's unveiling as Bayern's new head coach that he is hoping to add Barry, who he worked with at Chelsea, as one of his assistants.

    Highly regarded Barry has also spent the past year working alongside Martinez at international level, first with the Belgium national side and now Portugal.

    And regardless of whether the 36-year-old stays at Stamford Bridge or joins Tuchel in Germany, Martinez expects him to remain as part of his own coaching set-up.

    "I've been with Anthony for many years. What happens in international football has nothing to do with club football," Martinez said. "If there's a change, it'll be from club to club."

    Martinez's tenure as Portugal boss got off to a positive start with a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein in Thursday's opening Euro 2024 qualifying fixture.

    Portugal fielded a strong line-up for that game that included Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored twice on the day he became the most-capped player in men's international football.

    Bernardo Silva was also on the scoresheet, but he has warned his team-mates not to take next Group J opponents Luxembourg lightly, even if they are ranked 92nd in the world.

    "The truth is we don't know what to expect because teams can change depending on what they see in the games we've been playing and they can adapt to our game," Silva said. 

    "We expect a difficult game. The last time we came here we went through a lot of difficulties. The team has improved a lot. If I'm not mistaken, they haven't lost in seven games. 

    "We know that the game can be difficult at times. We have to fight against that, dominate the game and create opportunities to score goals and win."

    Martinez is still getting to grips with his squad, having only replaced Fernando Santos two months ago, and he suggested changes will be made against Luxembourg.

    "It's very important to have fresh people," he said at his pre-match press conference. "Three days after the game with Liechtenstein, it's important that everyone is physically well. 

    "We've been together for three days. I've been delighted with the level of unity, ambition and commitment I've seen. The quality of the squad is exceptional. 

    "We're just at the beginning of the journey; we have to grow together. But it's always easier when you win. Our last win was important from that point of view."

  • Argentina's training facility named after Messi Argentina's training facility named after Messi

    Argentina have honoured Lionel Messi's World Cup heroics by naming their training facility after their talismanic captain.

    Casa de Ezeiza, in Buenos Aires, houses Argentina's national team set-up, but it will now be known as Lionel Andres Messi.

    Chiqui Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), confirmed the news on Saturday, tweeting: "We lived a historic day in our Casa de Ezeiza, which from today will be renamed Lionel Andres Messi, in homage to the best player in the world.

    "I want to thank all the managers, players and employees of @afa for having been with us."

    Messi dragged Argentina to glory in Qatar last year, emulating the success of the late Diego Maradona as La Albiceleste claimed their third world title, and first since 1986.

    "This recognition is one of the nicest I've ever received," Messi posted on Instagram. "A great honour, thank you very much!!!"

    Messi scored the 800th goal of his stellar career in Argentina's 2-0 friendly win over Panama on Thursday. The 35-year-old's next goal on the international stage will be his 100th for his country.

  • Koeman 'expected more from everyone' after France ruin Netherlands return Koeman 'expected more from everyone' after France ruin Netherlands return

    Ronald Koeman unsurprisingly said he expected more from his Netherlands team after they were beaten 4-0 by France in his first game back as head coach.

    Koeman replaced Louis van Gaal to begin his second stint as Oranje boss, and will have been as surprised as anyone to see his team go 2-0 down after just eight minutes in the Stade de France, and 3-0 down after 21 minutes.

    Speaking to NOS Sport after the chastening defeat in their Euro 2024 qualifying opener, Koeman admitted he had not expected such a gulf, though his team had finished with 59 per cent possession and just one fewer shot than the hosts (12-11).

    "I did not take into account that the difference would be so great," he said. "I expected more from everyone. The team performance was below average.

    "We lost the ball 20 metres from our own goal. That is a place where you should never lose the ball. And then France is, of course, a very good team that is lurking and immediately benefits."

    Antoine Griezmann, Dayot Upamecano and new France captain Kylian Mbappe gave Les Bleus an early cushion, before Mbappe struck again two minutes from time after intercepting a pass from Memphis Depay, who later had a penalty saved by Mike Maignan.

    "Memphis lost the ball, but Mbappe of course finishes it off great afterwards. So it was not just us. It was also the class of France," Koeman conceded.

    The Netherlands were without some key players including Matthijs de Ligt, Cody Gakpo and Sven Botman with viral infections, but Koeman was in no mood for excuses.

    "Of course the preparation has not been ideal. That has left its mark," he said. "But there have been just too many moments today when we failed.

    "We now know where we stand and have learned from this. It can therefore also turn out positively. We are going to learn and improve, including us as technical staff."

    Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk added: "We didn't get there, lost the duels and lost the ball too often. The second goal was a set piece, but the other goals came because we handed them the ball. France has so much quality, they immediately punish that.

    "We will analyse the defeat and take a good look at what we can do better, but it is clear we are very disappointed."

    The Netherlands host Gibraltar in their second Group B game on Monday.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.