BREAKING NEWS: Arsenal land £12m Jorginho from Chelsea after Caicedo blow

By Sports Desk January 31, 2023

Arsenal signed Jorginho from London rivals Chelsea in a deadline day deal to bolster their midfield.

The Gunners agreed a reported £12million fee with the Blues for the 31-year-old midfielder and the Premier League leaders got the deal over the line in time.

Arsenal, bossed by Mikel Arteta, had been pushing to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion but saw a number of bids rejected, with the Seagulls making it clear the Ecuador international would not leave this month.

The Gunners moved instead to strengthen their squad with a proven performer, swifty completing a deal for Jorginho, whose contract with Chelsea was set to expire at the end of the season.

Jorginho's arrival comes amid concern for Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, who was withdrawn in Friday's FA Cup defeat to Manchester City with an apparent rib injury, while Mohamed Elneny has been sidelined with what Arsenal described as a "significant" knee problem.

A Champions League winner with Chelsea in 2020-21, Jorginho was also part of the Italy squad that won the Euro 2020 title.

Arteta said of his new recruit: "Jorginho is a midfield player with intelligence, deep leadership skills and a huge amount of Premier League and international experience. Jorginho has won in his career, but he still has the hunger and huge willingness to contribute here.

"We are so pleased to sign Jorginho and welcome him and his family to the club."

Gunners sporting director Edu said on Arsenal's website: "Jorginho is an established professional with a strong mentality who brings quality and experience into our squad.

"He is a player who fits our style of play, and he joins us at a very good moment where he can contribute in a key position to help maintain our momentum. We welcome Jorginho to Arsenal."

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    Sonia Bompastor said she was displeased at the mistakes her Chelsea side made during their 4-2 win over Brighton in the Women's Super League on Sunday. 

    In the Blues' penultimate league fixture this year, they signed off at Kingsmeadow with a victory in an enthralling encounter with the Seagulls.

    A brace from Sjoeke Nusken with further goals from Beever-Jones and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd earned Chelsea all three points, with Jelena Cankovic and Kiko Seike on target for the visitors. 

    And Chelsea were worthy of their triumph, registering an expected goals (xG) total of 4.08 from their 31 shots compared to Brighton's 2.19 from their 18 efforts. 

    The Blues' win also saw them equal Arsenal's record from the 2018-19 campaign of winning each of their first nine WSL games of the season. 

    While only in the infancy of her tenure, Bompastor also broke a record set by the legendary Emma Hayes on Sunday. 

    The Frenchwoman has won 13 games in a row in all competitions, exceeding Hayes’ club record of 12 consecutive wins set during the 2021-22 season.

    But, it was a hard-fought victory against a Brighton side who play a similar possession-based style. As a result, both sides gifted their opposition opportunities.

    This was not overly concerning for Bompastor, however, saying she was encouraged by her side's resilience to stick to their game model.

    "The two teams made some big mistakes today, especially in the build-up and trying to build from the backline and the keeper," Bompastor said.

    "That's something that's going to happen when you have two coaches who have a philosophy that they want to build up.

    "I prefer my team and my players to be confident enough and brave enough to try again, even if sometimes you can be in that position when you lose some balls.

    "Sometimes it's about making a better decision, executing more quickly, scanning better, controlling - so, a lot of small details that are really important at the high level.

    "The best teams are the ones who make the least mistakes. You will always have mistakes in the game, and I want my players to be brave enough to try again."

    But hot on Chelsea's heels are Manchester City, who also emerged 4-0 victors on Sunday, beating Leicester City thanks to an inspired display from Khadija Shaw. 

    Shaw netted the Citizens' first two goals of the game in the first half, with Jessica Park and Mary Fowler on target after the break for the hosts. 

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    And Taylor highlighted Shaw's importance on and off the ball for his side during their win over the Foxes, labelling her a "complete" striker. 

    "I’d like to say I’ve helped her in that space, but I think that’s all down to Bunny," Taylor said. 

    "She arrives in the right moment. They were quite different in the sense that the first one she puts back where it comes almost and makes it difficult for the keeper and I think she controlled it well from Kerstin’s cross.

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    "I’ve mentioned more recently about what she gives us without her goals. Her goals are the cherry on the cake with so many opportunities to score.

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    He was also part of the Portugal side that won Euro 2016, captaining the side during the final victory over France following Cristiano Ronaldo's early withdrawal through injury.

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    His club career was played across seven different countries - having also turning out for the likes of Fenerbahce, Valencia, Lazio, Orlando City and Melbourne Victory, before finishing his career with a short stint at Primeira Liga side Estrela Amadora.

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    That was the message from Jamie Carragher after Palmer's penalty double helped Enzo Maresca's side to an enthralling 4-3 comeback victory over Tottenham on Sunday.

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    Maresca's band of young talent sit just four points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, whose game on Saturday against Everton was postponed due to inclement weather.

    There was a storm of a different nature at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, however, as Chelsea fought from 2-0 down to complete a remarkable turnaround.

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    Carragher refuses to accept the Blues' early success as a rags-to-riches story, though.

    "This Chelsea team is no underdog story," the former Liverpool defender added. "This is a team that has spent £1.2billion, but what they're doing this season is something totally unexpected.

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