Mikel Arteta blown away by £12m Arsenal player’s display vs Newcastle

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was left blown away by Jorginho’s display against Newcastle United yesterday.

Jorginho kept his place in the Arsenal side for the trip to St James’ Park after an impressive display against Chelsea last time out.

Many expected Arteta to favour Thomas Partey over the Italian given the physical presence of the Newcastle midfield.

But Jorginho didn’t disappoint as he put in a Man of the Match display and helped Arsenal to a 2-0 win. And Arteta admitted that he was amazed by the 31-year-old on Sunday afternoon. 

Arteta blown away by ‘exceptional’ Jorginho

Speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta was asked about Jorginho’s impact on the game from the middle of the park. 

“He was exceptional and I think he was Man of the Match,” the Arsenal boss said. “There were question marks because it was going to be really physical.

“But you want to go physicality against physicality, we’d have no chance. We had to try something different.

“He understood the game really well, he’s a really intelligent player. He gives a lot of security to the team and he dominated the game in many moments.”

Jorginho was brought in for £12 million in January and he’s proving to be an astute piece of business already.

He’s yet to get a proper run in the side, but he’s put in some assured displays in Partey’s absence. The Italian has seemingly taken Partey’s place in the side for now too. 

He played a key role in what was a huge win at Newcastle yesterday, which saw the Gunners close the gap at the top of the table to just one point.

Of course, Arsenal are relying on Manchester City to slip up between now and the end of the campaign. But yesterday’s win will fill them with confidence after a difficult run of form last month.