The agent of Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has given an update on the player’s current contract situation.
Arsenal paid £12 million to sign Jorginho from Chelsea in January, handing the 31-year-old an 18-month contract.
Whilst the Gunners retain the option to extend the midfielder’s current terms by another year, as things stand Jorginho is set to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.
Jorginho has played regularly for the north London club so far this season, as Thomas Partey’s injury issues have endured. He has made 14 appearances, across all competitions so far, eight of which have been starts.
Generally, the veteran midfielder has done a solid job for Mikel Arteta’s side in the middle of the park. He is a natural leader, a calming presence, and an excellent passer of the ball. Plenty of Arsenal fans have been pleasantly surprised by the impact the Italy international has had since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium.
However, there are flaws in Jorginho’s game. Above all, he lacks pace. If he is ever caught out of position when Arsenal lose possession, he struggles to effectively recover. Given his age, this shortcoming is only going to become more pronounced in future.
Arsenal must think long and hard about Jorginho contract situation
Arteta may already be planning for life without Jorginho. Arsenal are certainly sizing up potential midfield signings.
However, the 48-cap Italy international’s agent has recently suggested that the player could yet be offered a fresh deal by the club, though there has been no breakthrough in talks. As quoted by Calciomercatoweb, the agent, Joao Santos, said, “everything is at a standstill. We’ll think about it after February. However, the priority remains Arsenal.”
The club need to think very carefully before offering the £110,000-a-week ace a new deal. At this stage in his career, Jorginho has no real re-sell value, and he could easily become a burden on the squad if his body goes into a steep decline and he finds he can no longer cope with Premier League football.
There are of course players far older than Jorginho currently successfully plying their trade in the English top flight, but the Arsenal man has already played more than 500 matches at club level in his career. That’s a lot of miles on the clock. The prospects of his longevity therefore need to be seriously considered.
That being said, if Arteta and the Arsenal staff are confident that Jorginho is still in reliable physical shape, and he is happy to fulfil a back up role in the squad, then keeping him on makes sense. Jorginho has done enough to earn a new contract.
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