Latest Arsenal news takes a closer look at what signing Jorginho from London rivals Chelsea for £12m on January transfer deadline could mean for Bukayo Saka
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta with new signing Jorginho.
Mikel Arteta could have a big decision to make at Arsenal following the addition of Jorginho to his first-team squad.
On Tuesday evening, it was announced that a £12m deal for the Italy international had been completed, thus making him the north London outfit’s third, and final, signing of an extremely busy January transfer window following moves for Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior.
Perhaps more importantly, Arsenal have brought in cover in midfield after it was confirmed that Mohamed Elneny has undergone knee surgery as Mikel Arteta had previously earmarked this particular department as a priority to strengthen before Tuesday night’s 11pm deadline
Whilst Jorginho may not be the midfield target some Arsenal fans were dreaming of amid links to Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, he does possess one particular quality that would make him a welcome addition at the Emirates Stadium.
During his time in Serie A, the Premier League, and with the Italy national team, the 31-year-old has proven himself to be one of the most reliable penalty takers around.
Of the 41 he’s taken throughout his career, only seven have been missed. The most recent one was in Chelsea’s 1-0 win against West Ham United last season and ironically he had one saved against Arsenal in the 2020/21 season as Bernd Leno guessed correctly to keep out his spot-kick.
But he has been successful with the three penalties he’s taken this season – against Manchester United, AC Milan in the Champions League and Everton – to show that his misses from 12 yards are extremely rare and this record could give Arteta something to think about for the remainder of the campaign.
Now, during the final eight games of last season, when the Gunners were awarded spot-kicks against Chelsea, Man United and Everton, it was Bukayo Saka (2x) and Gabriel Martinelli who stepped up – in the absence of Alexandre Lacazette – and their success rate was 100%.
And based on the 3-2 win over Liverpool earlier in the season, the indication is that the England international is Arsenal’s penalty taker as he took responsibility once again even with the £45m summer signing Gabriel Jesus on the pitch at the time.
Although following the arrival of Jorginho, could Arteta be tempted to reverse this decision? Well, it could be worth taking under consideration as the Italian is almost perfect from the spot but at the same time it should be pointed out that Saka has scored all three penalties in an Arsenal shirt.
source: https://www.football.london/
