Arsenal make final decision on selling senior star to Turkey on Super Lig deadline day after Arteta talks

Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has attracted interest from the three biggest clubs in the Turkish Super Lig on their deadline day.

However, Mikel Arteta has decided to take Jorginho off the market, according to Aksam, rather than letting him join Fenerbahce, Galatasaray or Besiktas before the end of Friday.

Not only has Arteta stood in the way of a transfer, but Jorginho himself has also decided the best thing to do right now is for him to stay at Arsenal.

And in a twist of events, thanks to talks between Arteta and the player’s entourage, Arsenal could end up offering a new contract to Jorginho, which would put him out of reach of those three Turkish giants for the summer too, when they would otherwise have been able to sign him as a free agent.

Jorginho has recently been reminding everyone why he was so highly rated during his past spells with Napoli and Chelsea, reinforcing his status as a useful midfielder for Arsenal despite not necessarily being a first-choice starter.

With that in mind, Arteta has ruled out a departure for Jorginho at this stage, especially keeping in mind that the window for Arsenal to sign an immediate replacement is shut.

The 32-year-old joined Arsenal just over a year ago with the intention of helping them win the Premier League, which they were unable to achieve but are trying for again this season.

Due to his age, Jorginho only signed an 18-month contract at Arsenal, but there is an option for his club to extend his stay into next season as well, which they are now giving serious thought to.

Jorginho could keep place as Arsenal midfield evolves

It comes amid the likelihood of another of their senior midfielders, Thomas Partey, being sold in the summer – although on that front, plans to bring in Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad as a replacement have hit a stumbling block.

Furthermore, Mohamed Elneny – who has played in the Super Lig himself before for Besiktas – is approaching the end of his contract with the Gunners.

Retaining Jorginho could provide some stability in the Arsenal midfield department, which is waiting for its next long-term reinforcements after the club-record capture of Declan Rice in the summer.

Jorginho has played 38 times for Arsenal so far, including 22 appearances this season, even wearing the captain’s armband on a few occasions.

Only five of his 14 Premier League appearances in 2023/24 have been starts, but he completed 90 minutes in their most recent fixture, the win over Liverpool in which Sky Sports named him as the player of the match.

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