Jorginho leaving Arsenal in the summer transfer window is a “foregone conclusion”, despite the Italian still having “plenty to offer” both on and off the field, expert Charles Watts has told Sports Mole.
The 33-year-old’s Emirates deal officially runs out at the end of the season, and it has been claimed that he has already reached a pre-contract agreement to join Brazilian giants Flamengo this summer.
Jorginho was tight-lipped when asked about an imminent switch to Flamengo this month, although the South American club’s sporting director has talked up his potential arrival following two-and-a-half seasons at the Emirates.
The former Chelsea man’s deal does include the option for an additional 12 months, but Watts believes that his exit for Flamengo is as good as confirmed, saying: “Jorginho has been fantastic for Arsenal. A really, really good signing.
“I still think he’s got plenty to offer on the pitch, loads to offer off the pitch as well. And I would absolutely like to see him stick around for another year. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think Arteta and him would have come to an agreement.
Jorginho leaving Arsenal for Flamengo ‘a foregone conclusion’
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“He’s not getting any younger, he wants to play football, he’s always talked up a stint in Brazil. Flamengo is an unbelievable opportunity, a massive club. I think it’s a foregone conclusion that he goes there. Blatantly obvious that that’s going to happen.
“The lure of going over there, playing an awful lot more football, experiencing something new before he retires, I can absolutely understand why he wants that. And I think there’s such a strong relationship between Arteta, him and the club that they’re not going to stand in his way and stop him achieving that. I think that’s a done deal.”
Arsenal had already made a habit of rehoming veteran Chelsea players – such as Willian, David Luiz and Petr Cech – before moving for Jorginho midway through the 2022-23 season after losing Mohamed Elneny to a serious knee injury.
The Gunners paid their London rivals just £12m to sign Jorginho, who has not made himself an undisputed starter under Mikel Arteta but has proven himself as a reliable and technically competent option in the number six role.
Jorginho has managed two goals and three assists in 76 appearances during his time in North London, and the 33-year-old has also sported the captain’s armband on seven occasions this season, including in September’s 1-0 North London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur during Martin Odegaard‘s absence.
While Watts was sceptical of Jorginho’s arrival at the time, the Arsenal expert had nothing but praise for the Euro 2020 winner as he prepares to embark on his Brazilian “swan song”, adding: “It’s definitely been a success.
Jorginho deserves “swan song” in Brazil after Chelsea “scar tissue”
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“I can’t understand people who would say otherwise. The money wasn’t expensive. At the time when Arsenal signed him, I was just like, ‘really?’ Everyone’s got a bit of scar tissue when it comes to signing players from Chelsea.
“It was on deadline day, they’d spent the whole January chasing [Moises] Caicedo, hoping to make that happen. It didn’t happen, and suddenly you’re bringing in another 30-plus player from Chelsea.
“But from the moment he walked through the door, he was a fantastic signer and settled in straight away. He was hugely popular, really good on the pitch when he was given his chance. At one point, he forced his way past Thomas Partey in the pecking order, and him and Declan Rice formed a really fantastic relationship in that midfield.
“A great signer, real good value for money, not overly expensive and has given great service to Arsenal in the two and a half years he’s been here. So he deserves to go off and have his little swan song in Brazil. Fair play to him and good luck to him when he does.”
Both Jorginho and Thomas Partey are set to leave upon the expiration of their contracts this summer, and Arsenal are also facing huge decisions over Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard, both of whom are due to become free agents in 2026.
Watts revealed that he does not expect one of the latter duo to be offered a new contract, while also revealing his “big worry” over imminent conversations with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli, whose deals are up in 2027.
