Sam Allardyce reacts to Arsenal signing Jorginho on deadline day

By Jordan Harris

Sam Allardyce has told the No Tippy Tappy Football with Sam Allardyce podcast that Jorginho is a good buy for Arsenal, insisting that the Italy international slots into Mikel Arteta’s side seamlessly.

It is fair to say that plenty of Gunners fans were not best pleased when reports emerged on Monday night claiming that the Premier League leaders were eyeing the 31-year-old.

But he did indeed prove to be the signing Mikel Arteta’s men brought in on deadline day. As reported by BBC Sport, the Gunners have spent £12 million on the midfielder after failing to land Moises Caicedo.

Allardyce applauds Arsenal for Jorginho move

Of course, Caicedo would have been the more exciting addition. And his potential could be absolutely huge. But Jorginho could definitely prove to be an incredibly smart buy for what they need right now.

Allardyce actually named him the second best signing of the January transfer window. And he suggested that he could be the ideal player to come in when Arsenal need him.

“Yeah, another one because if you want somebody in midfield, Jorginho, to be able to pinch him from Chelsea it’s not an easy task,” he told the No Tippy Tappy Football with Sam Allardyce podcast.

“The need has obviously been great because they haven’t got Caicedo from Brighton that they wanted.

“So they have gone for a very experienced European player, across Europe and the Premier League. He can slot into Arsenal’s team quite easily and do what they like doing, which is he definitely keeps the ball.

“He definitely is one of those anchor men who doesn’t give the ball away, sits in the pocket, in front of the back four and keeps the ball moving, keeps it moving forward which is very important for Arsenal at the minute to try and maintain their position.

“What was it £12m? You know, for me, looking at the whole situation, that’s a good one.”

Midfielder only needs a few well-timed performances to justify deal

If this was Arsenal of a couple of years ago, you could absolutely understand the disappointment of ending up with Jorginho after making a play for Caicedo.

However, the Gunners are a different animal now. They are very much in the hunt for the Premier League title. And they were on the lookout in January for the signings which may get them across the line.

Of course, Jorginho would have probably never been the top target at the start of the month. But he ticks a lot of boxes when you consider the quality Arsenal already have in their ranks.

It may only be a short-term signing. But if Arsenal get one or two defining performances out of Jorginho on their way to glory, it will be worth every penny.