Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has admitted he is not a “big fan” of new signing Jorginho.
Jorginho arrived at the Emirates on transfer deadline day in a deal worth £12million.
Mikel Arteta was keen to recruit extra midfield cover as he continued Arsenal’s emphatic title charge.
The Spaniard turned to the Chelsea man after they missed out on signing Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, seeing two bids rejected for the 21-year-old.
Following his arrival, Jorginho has been thrown into the action, stepping in for the injured Thomas Partey in the heart of midfield.
After a tricky debut saw the Gunners lose 3-1 to title rivals Manchester City, the Italian soon won Gunners’ fans over.
He was pivotal in their 4-2 win over Aston Villa. With the scores level in stoppage time, the 31-year-old struck a fierce effort against the bar, comically bouncing off Emi Martinez’s head and into the back of the net.
The effort proved to be the winning goal, and Jorginho has started every game since.
Petit: “I’m not a big fan of Jorginho”
However, Petit isn’t a fan. Whilst the Frenchman did acknowledge that he looks like a “different player” under Arteta.
Speaking after the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Leicester, Petit told Premier League Odds: “City will put pressure on them every single day, but they are showing so much maturity and happiness. Happiness is so important and you can see that from Jorginho, he’s a different player.
“I’m not a big fan of Jorginho and I think he’s very happy he’s left Chelsea’s dressing room – all of a sudden he looks like a different player.”
Thomas Partey is likely to remain first choice in the Gunners’ midfield, and he will no doubt reclaim the position against Bournemouth on Saturday after returning to fitness.
Indeed, the Ghanain made a big difference when he came on for Jorginho in the second half of Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Everton on Wednesday.
He played a sumptuous ball to find Eddie Nketiah, cutting the Toffees’ defence in two. The move led to Arsenal’s fourth goal of the evening, as they went five points clear at the top of the table.
