Arsenal star suggests return to former league after admitting ‘Arteta gives you a billion pieces of information’

Jorginho has confirmed he would be interested in playing in Serie A again but does not know when the right time to leave Arsenal will be.

Arsenal signed Jorginho from Chelsea in the January 2023 transfer window, hoping his experience could benefit their pursuit of the Premier League title. Ultimately, they fell short and were overtaken by Manchester City in the standings.

Over the summer, Arsenal went on to beat Man City to the signature of Declan Rice from West Ham United in an effort to upgrade their midfield.

Although that move was primarily to replace the outbound Granit Xhaka, who joined Bayer Leverkusen, it has had implications for Jorginho as well.

Indeed, so far this season, the 31-year-old has only started four matches in the Premier League. In contrast, he started nine top-flight games in the second half of last season after his Arsenal move.

Jorginho is due to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign when his contract expires. There have even been rumours he could be sold by Arsenal before then in January.

Now, while on international duty with Italy, Jorginho has opened up on the chances of him returning to Serie A.

After being asked at a press conference about the topic, Jorginho replied: “I’m very much in doubt. I would like to return but I don’t know what the right time would be.

“I want to return yes, but I don’t know when. I feel I still have things to do at Arsenal.

“For me it’s always nice to play at the Stadio Olimpico, let’s hope it will be full and I can’t wait, I have no blocks, none.”

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Jorginho previously played for Hellas Verona and Napoli in Serie A, becoming a naturalised Italian citizen along the way after being born in Brazil.

He is now in his seventh season in the Premier League, which is actually more than he ever spent in Serie A, since his first couple of seasons with Verona were in Serie B.

Comparing the two top-flights he has played in, Jorginho explained: “I think there is a higher intensity in England. But I think it’s a matter of culture.

“The game in Italy is more of a chess game. More thought out.

“While in England the game is more instinctive, they always throw themselves all the way and maybe sometimes without thinking much about it. That’s kind of the difference.”

Jorginho highlights Arteta demands

While the second half of last season ended in disappointment for Arsenal in contrast to the high hopes set from the first, Jorginho does not look back at his first few months at the club negatively.

That said, he has highlighted how it takes time to adapt to a new setup, especially under a coach as meticulous as Mikel Arteta.

Jorginho said: “It always takes time when you change teams, but the first six months at Arsenal were not negative, on the contrary.

“Obviously, it takes time to understand the mechanisms better. Arteta gives you a billion pieces of information but I’m very happy there.”

Jorginho was speaking ahead of the November international break, in which he has been selected by Italy for the first time since June.

They will compete against North Macedonia and Ukraine in qualifying matches for Euro 2024, which they would be going to as defending champions if Luciano Spalletti can guide them there.

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