Arsenal completed the signing of Jorginho on deadline day as the Italian midfielder sealed a £12million switch from Chelsea. The Gunners identified the 31-year-old as an ideal addition to Mikel Arteta's midfield options after having two bids rejected for Brighton's Moises Caicedo.
Arteta had revealed how he tried signing Jorginho in the past and how excited he was to finally work with the Italy international. Jorginho's experience and qualities were seen as the perfect fit for the Gunners, who are hoping to maintain their Premier League title challenge.
The Italian midfielder was named as a substitute in the squad that faced Everton this afternoon and he made his debut appearance after coming on in the 59th minute at Goodison Park. Unfortunately for Jorginho, his introduction didn't quite go to plan as James Tarkowski rose above the Italian's new teammate Martin Odegaard just 60 seconds into his debut to nod home what proved to be the winner for the Toffees.
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Gunners fans were hoping to see a strong start from the former Chelsea ace but his debut quickly spiralled into a nightmare for the technical midfielder. It was a physical contest at Goodison Park with the likes of Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure causing Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka huge headaches throughout the match.
Jorginho was brought on to try and give the Gunners some control in a key area of the pitch, but Arteta's plan did not pan out how he had hoped. After Tarkowski's goal, Everton dropped back into a stubborn defensive shape and it was not just the Italian that had struggled to unstick the Toffees' set up with Martin Odegaard being hauled off for Fabio Vieira on a frustrating afternoon.
The 31-year-old debutant also lost the ball in a dangerous area seven minutes from time, despite not being helped by Xhaka's hospital pass. Neal Maupay was unable to add to the Gunners' misery but it was hardly a day to remember for Jorginho, who will be hoping his home debut goes a lot better as he aims to please his new supporters after making a controversial switch from west London.
It would be harsh to judge him on his half an hour in Merseyside with a home fixture against Brentford up next offering much more opportunity for Jorginho to showcase his ball retention and playmaking ability.
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