Jorginho, an unpopular midfielder for Arsenal, is being considered by Barcelona after Declan Rice said the Italian astonished him “so much” in practice.
Both midfielders joined the north London club this year; Rice became Arsenal’s club record signing this summer after terminating his lengthy affiliation with West Ham, while Jorginho joined Mikel Arteta’s team in January from Chelsea.
Jorginho has only had a minor role in Arteta’s team since his transfer, first filling in for Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey in the starting lineup before moving up to replace Rice. Only one Premier League season has the midfielder started so far this year.
Barcelona has added 31-year-old Jorginho to its shortlist of potential acquisitions for a new deep-lying midfielder. According to ESPN, the Blaugrana are looking to strengthen their midfield after losing Franck Kessie and Sergio Busquets this summer.
Although manager Xavi is eager to get another midfielder, Jorginho is one of the players being watched. Oriol Romeu was acquired from Girona. They are also keeping an eye on the versatile midfielder Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich, as well as Thiago Alcantara of Liverpool and Guido Rodriguez of Real Betis.
Although he may not have had a significant impact on Arsenal’s games, Jorginho has stood out to England international Rice on the practice field. The Brazilian-born athlete has since moved to the Emirates, and the former Hammers captain has talked about how much he has learned from him.
“The one who surprised me so much, not surprised because I knew he was such a good player anyhow,” Rice stated in an interview with Joe Cole for Channel 4. Jorginho plays with him every day in practice and observes how he is because he is not the biggest.
“I’ve just been trying to pick up tiny stuff off of him, like how his head functions as a holding midfielder. He makes time for himself constantly, is always in position, knows when to pass, and is an excellent trainer.
Since joining Arsenal from their London rivals, Jorginho has made 24 first-team appearances, many of which have been as a substitute. He played for Verona and Napoli during prior stints of seven seasons in Italian football, when he helped his country win Euro 2020.