Jorginho reveals why he left Chelsea for Arsenal

Jorginho has opened up on his late January move from Chelsea to London rivals Arsenal.

The Italian midfielder brought an end to his four-and-a-half year stay at Stamford Bridge last month, completing a swift move to the Gunners on deadline day.

His contract at Chelsea was up in the summer and he was set to depart on a free transfer anyway, though in an interview with DAZN, revealed that other factors – such as the intervention of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta – also played a part in his decision.

“[Arteta] was one of the reasons, surely,” Jorginho said. “He called me and it was all very quick, we made the deal in less than 48 hours. I had spoken to Chelsea and I knew I was no longer part of their plans. I wanted to progress in my career and the Arsenal project suits me.

“It’s a young team that plays good football and fits my characteristics. I considered every scenario and made the decision. Sometimes you must accept when you are out of a project and that things come to an end.”

Jorginho played a key role as Arsenal moved two points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday, beating Aston Villa 4-2 via two late goals before Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest.

The title appeared to be slipping away from Arsenal after losing 3-1 at home to Man City last week, but Jorginho insisted the squad weren’t too disheartened by the result.

“if you look at the game, it was decided in the penalty boxes,” he added. “You can’t commit certain mistakes against these champions at this level. We made mistakes, and they punished us. After the game, I was confident because we played well.

“We forced Man City to play long balls and not many teams do that, so it means we did good things. We were disappointed with the result and the mistakes, but we remained calm because we knew we’d made many good things. If we don’t believe in it now, then when?”