During his interview with DAZN, Italy and Arsenal midfielder Jorginho said he left Chelsea because he was no longer part of their plans, so he joined the Gunners ‘in less than 48 hours.’
The former Napoli and Hellas Verona midfielder signed for the Gunners on the deadline day in January, leaving their city rivals Chelsea six months before the end of his contract.
During his first interview as a new Arsenal player in February, Jorginho said Mikel Arteta was one of the reasons why he moved to North London.
“It’s one of the reasons, surely,” he confirmed to DAZN on Monday.
“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 also discussed the similarities between Arsenal and Napoli this season, admitting that he didn’t know who Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was.
The Gunners are the Premier League leaders with a two-point lead over Manchester City and a game in hand despite a 3-1 loss against Pep Guardiola’s side in London last week.
Did the defeat affect Arsenal’s title hopes?
“No, if you look at the game, it was decided in the penalty boxes,” noted Jorginho.
“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,” he continued.
“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?”
Jorginho scored 29 goals in 213 games with Chelsea. He joined Arsenal in a €13.5m deal in January, signing a contract until June 2024.