The reaction to Jorginho's move to Arsenal has been as expected. After weeks of courting for the younger, more attractive model of midfielder in Moises Caicedo, to end up with a 31-year-old with six months left to run on a deal from a rival is underwhelming.
That's not an issue caused by the Italian himself though and must therefore be taken out of the equation when actually considering just what he will add to Mikel Arteta's side. Although it is a worthwhile point that the Spanish manager was working closely with Pep Guardiola when he came close to signing Jorginho in 2018, that was four-and-a-half years ago.
Jorginho has only gotten older and slower, which isn't a glamorous combination, but he still remains one of the masters of his art. With age comes experience and a honing of those skills. He has forever known his physical limitations and to be successful in England over five years despite those flaws is a testament to his ability.
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This doesn't gloss over the issues. A player of his age doesn't solve many issues in the squad and it isn't close to a like-for-like back-up for Thomas Partey. If the Ghana international was to get injured then Mohamed Elneny is a closer profile fit than Jorginho. His injury also makes things more complex.
Looking at Jorginho's decline at Chelsea alone wouldn't be entirely fair as to how he will work at Arsenal. It has become largely apparent that in the Premier League he is unable to work as effectively off-the-ball without a midfield partner. With not only Partey but also Granit Xhaka, Jorginho has that cover.
At Chelsea his best performances were often alongside Mateo Kovacic in a double-pivot with plenty of cover. Arsenal may not offer the same defensive structure that Thomas Tuchel allowed him to flourish in but they do have mobile defenders across the backline and physically imposing midfielders to mix with Jorginho's tempo control.
Jorginho and N'Golo Kante as a partnership at Stamford Bridge wasn't as effective as many had hoped with neither adding the defensive discipline or attacking intent. Kovacic and Jorginho were a true partnership and developed an innate sense of surrounding and closeness.
Arsenal don't have a Kovacic-type figure but they do have players to surround Jorginho and make-up for what he lacks. At Chelsea this has been missing. There hasn't been midfield investment and Jorginho has aged with those alongside him rather than being complimented by his teammates.
This condition alone changes how he should be viewed. He is unlikely to be used as the deepest midfielder on his own, even when he is it will be intriguing to see how the narrow fullbacks then come to add bodies around him. Unlike at Chelsea, where the midfield has become a major issue, Arsenal's is more than functioning right now and Jorginho has rarely failed when given that sort of support.
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