Chelsea were a very busy club in the January transfer window last month, mainly signing new players.
But there was quite a high profile player who also left the club, or at least one who was playing as a regular in the starting Xl under Graham Potter.
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Jorginho went across London to join Chelsea’s rivals Arsenal, a move that has been made by a few former Blues of late.
The Italian international had a contract running out in the summer and Chelsea decided to get a small fee for him instead of letting him go as a free agent, with it looking like no agreement to extend his contract at the club was going to happen.
And now, as cited by Football Italia, Jorginho has explained why he left Chelsea, at least on his side of things.
He says that Mikel Arteta was one of the reasons.
“It’s one of the reasons, surely,” he confirmed. “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.”
A rare case of “everybody wins.” Jorginho always gave his best for us (even if his age and lack of raw athleticism were no longer a good fit). Easy to wish him well (just not against us!).