Arsenal are reportedly desperate to stop a £110,000-per-week star from leaving for a league-winning side, and it is believed the Gunners will “do everything” to keep him at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal prepare for Tottenham clash with weakened squad
Following their 1-1 draw against Brighton the weekend before last – Arsenal’s first dropped points of the season – manager Mikel Arteta will be very keen to return to winning ways as soon as possible.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, Arsenal face two of their toughest fixtures of the season after this international break – as the Gunners gear up for away trips to Tottenham and Premier League title rivals Man City.
Star midfielder Declan Rice will miss their looming north London derby this weekend after being sent off for two bookable offences against Brighton, while summer signing Mikel Merino is out for nearly two months after fracturing his shoulder in training.
Takehiro Tomiyasu is a doubt for Arsenal’s trip to Spurs as well, and there is another big worry over club captain Martin Odegaard. The Norway star was injured on international duty this week, twisting his ankle in a 2-1 win against Austria, with Odegaard pictured returning to Arsenal on crutches as he awaits medical assessment.
Arteta is facing a real selection headache for Tottenham. The tactician has already been forced to make concessions in regard to his favoured eleven, with Arteta planning to drop Kai Havertz into midfield and play Raheem Sterling as a false-nine.
Now that Odegaard is a doubt for Arsenal this weekend, Arteta will be thankful he didn’t let Thomas Partey leave in the summer window, despite the Ghanaian’s repeated links to a move away.
The same can certainly be said of Jorginho, who was awarded a contract extension earlier this year.
Arsenal desperate to stop Jorginho leaving for Galatasaray
With the Turkish transfer window open till Friday, Süper Lig champions Galatasaray are thought to be registering an interest in the £110,000-per-week midfielder.
The Italy international was a regular towards the back end of last season, so much so that Arsenal decided to keep him in north London for an additional year, rather than let him leave for free in the summer.
Jorginho’s new contract runs until 2025, but Arsenal have the option to extend it by an additional year. Given the number of absences and suspensions in Arteta’s squad, Arsenal are desperate to keep hold of Jorginho amid interest from Galatasaray, and will “do everything” to rebuff offers for the 32-year-old.
“Jorgi is a very strategic player,” said former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel. “He knows what to do in possession, he can imagine what is going to happen one or two passes ahead and he knows where to help out in short distances and longer distances.
“He knows when to switch the play and not to switch the play. He has a good sense of rhythm. He organises the environment around him and that allows him to show his true abilities in controlling the rhythm of a game.
“As well as this, he is relentless in defence. He wants to help everywhere on the pitch. He has a huge ability to run a lot for the team. Maybe he lacks the high speeds, but he compensates with a lot of work-rate and anticipation in his defensive work.”
