He acknowledges that the Gunners veteran is a “brilliant” player but nonetheless reckons he has his flaws.
Arsenal signed Jorginho at the end of the January transfer window this year for a reported £12million.
The 31-year-old has made 24 competitive appearances for the Gunners this year, of which eight have come this season.
A regular for Arsenal last term, Jorginho has had to make do with cameos off the bench for the most part this season.
Townsend said about Jorginho on talkSPORT (6:52 am, 17/10/23): “If you think Jorginho… brilliant footballer, but can get exposed a bit in the middle of the park when people break on you very quickly.”
Our view
Can’t really add more to what Townsend has said. Jorginho is obviously a great player, but from a defensive perspective, he’s not the best.
When it comes to controlling the midfield and dictating the tempo of the game, the £110,000-a-week ace is top class.
Indeed, Mikel Arteta is a huge fan. Earlier this year, the Arsenal boss called him a “phenomenal character” who has been “really good” for the Gunners.
However, his relative lack of mobility means he can get caught out. He really needs Declan Rice or Thomas Partey next to him to mitigate this.
Nevertheless, signing a player of Jorginho’s quality and experience for just £12million was still a great deal. There are many more pros than cons.
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