Mikel Arteta raves about ‘phenomenal’ Arsenal man ahead of Man City game

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been raving about midfielder Jorginho as they prepare to face Manchester City today.

Arteta was speaking to the press ahead of the Community Shield final at Wembley.

All eyes will be on the midfield combination Mikel Arteta goes with today.

Much of Arsenal’s success last season was built on the partnership between Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka.

The Swiss international has now moved on, while Partey’s future has been speculated about as well.

Arsenal then broke their transfer record to sign Declan Rice, while Kai Havertz is also expected to play as a midfielder next season.

However, another player Arsenal manager Arteta will be considering today is Jorginho.

The Italian international only arrived at the Emirates in January but has done well when called upon.

He even displaced Partey towards the end of last season and Arteta has emphasised his importance to the squad for the upcoming campaign.

Arsenal manager Arteta raves about Jorginho

Asked about the 31-year-old’s importance in the dressing room now that Xhaka has left, Arteta said: “I think it’s something that has to be shared.

“Jorginho is a phenomenal character, he’s got so much experience. Everybody respects and loves him in there and he’s a particular character as well and he’s been really, really, really good for us.

“He needs to maintain what he’s doing but also we have to promote leadership from other areas and there are very young players there as well and now they’ve been with us for a while and they have to start to look forward and take initiative and go another step further.”

Arteta has been speaking highly about Jorginho throughout the summer amid speculation he could leave Arsenal.

It would be a real surprise to see him depart the Emirates given the way Arteta has been speaking about him.

Jorginho is unlikely to be a key player for Arsenal next season, but he’s a dependable option with plenty of Champions League experience.

He could combine well with Declan Rice and Kai Havertz depending on who plays in the more advanced midfield role.

His reading of the game and passing ability would suit their strong dribbling technique.

Arteta has plenty of options at his disposal, making it very difficult to know what to prepare for when facing Arsenal.