Chelsea told Jorginho he was no longer part of their plans before a surprise move to Arsenal came about, the player has revealed.
The Gunners paid £12million to land the Italian midfielder on deadline day having lost Mohamed Elneny to injury, in a deal that few saw coming as the transfer window neared its conclusion.
Jorginho had only six months left to run on his Chelsea contract at the time and rumours of a move to Barcelona or Napoli were prevalent.
Speaking after his role in the weekend’s comeback win at Aston Villa, Jorginho told of how a phone call from Mikel Arteta was key to him accepting Arsenal’s rapid offer.
“It’s one of the reasons, for sure,” he said on Italian network DAZN.
“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.”
