Statistics reveal Jorginho is ahead of Partey and Caicedo
The arrival of Jorginho has divided the Arsenal fanbase, having struggled for form this season with Chelsea down in 10th in the table
Arsenal have accepted defeat in their pursuit of Moises Caicedo, but in Jorginho perhaps Mikel Arteta's side have stumbled upon a better option to bring them home the title.
The Gunners, who sit five points ahead of Manchester City atop the Premier League table with a game in hand, saw their £70million bid for Caicedo rejected in what was their third attempt to lure the midfielder away from Brighton.
Wasting no time, Arsenal quickly turned their attention to Jorginho, and announced they had signed the Italian on an 18-month contract on Tuesday.
Arteta has been desperate to add a midfielder to his ranks during the January transfer window with both Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny currently out injured.
The Spaniard is a long-term admirer of Jorginho, who was available on the cheap with his Chelsea contract expiring this summer.
The arrival of Jorginho has divided the Arsenal fanbase, having struggled for form this season with Chelsea down in 10th in the table.
Yet, the stats show that the midfielder, who scored 29 goals in 213 games for Chelsea, may actually be an astute signing.
Perhaps one of the major concerns among the Arsenal faithful is Jorginho's ability to cover the pitch in Partey's absence, with Ghanaian's work-rate being fundamental to their success in recent months.
Yet, from the start of last season, Jorginho has actually covered more ground on average than both Partey and Arsenal's first-choice option Caicedo - and by quite a margin.
The 31-year-old covers an average of 11.1km per 90 in the Premier League, with Partey down at 10.5 and Caicedo at 10.2.
He has also scored more goals (8) than both Partey (4) and Caicedo (2), though all of them have come from the penlaty spot. Nevertheless, he has also made more passes, more forward passes and with a better accuracy than both Partey and Caicedo.
Jorginho stats vs Thomas Partey & Moises Caicedo
Premier League Since 21/22 Jorginho (per 90) Partey (per 90) Caicedo (per 90)
Appearances 47 40 26
Minutes 3559 3426 2271
Goals 8 (0.2) 4 (0.11) 2 (0.08)
Assists 2 (0.05) 1 (0.03) 2 (0.08)
Chances Created 34 (0.9) 31 (0.8) 24 (1)
Distance covered (km) 437.7 (11.1) 399.9 (10.5) 257.9 (10.2)
Passes 2761 (69.8) 2247 (59) 1341 (53.1)
Passing Accuracy 88% 86% 87%
Passes Ending Final 1/3 806 (20.4) 624 (16.4) 372 (14.7)
Forward Passes 792 (20) 636 (16.7) 367 (14.5)
Through Balls 10 (0.3) 13 (0.3) 8 (0.3)
Carry Distance (m) 4311.4 (109) 4700 (123.5) 2445.1 (96.9)
Tackles 106 (2.7) 79 (2.1) 68 (2.7)
Interceptions 57 (1.4) 42 (1.1) 36 (1.4)
Possession Won 327 (8.3) 277 (7.3) 170 (6.7)
Dribbled past by opp. 77 (1.9) 40 (1.1) 15 (0.6)
Duel Success 52% 54.2% 57.8%
Perhaps that's to be expected, but what might surprise Arsenal fans is that he has also won possession more times per 90 minutes (8.3) than Partey (7.3) and Caicedo (6.7). Meanwhile, he betters Partey and matches Caicedo for both interceptions and tackles.
While Jorginho is clearly a technician, any perception that he's lightweight in midfield is clearly not entirely true.
That said, perhaps the one worry for Arsenal fans will be the fact he has been dribbled past 1.9 times a game, more than Partey (1.1) and Caicedo (0.6).
What Jorginho will definitely bring, though, is genuine experience of winning silverware at the highest level.
The midfielder has won the European Championships with Italy, both the Champions League and Europa League with Chelsea and more.
