Former Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has revealed he left the club because he no longer felt he could enjoy his football under Mikel Arteta.
The former Italy international has opened up on his time at the Emirates, where he spent two-and-a-half seasons after joining from Premier League rivals Chelsea in 2023.
Currently with Brazilian side Flamengo, Jorginho made 79 appearances for Arsenal, 46 of which were starts, and helped the Gunners finish as runners-up to Manchester City in the league in both 2024 and 2025.
He left the north London side at the end of the 2024-25 campaign on a free transfer, and has since helped Flamengo lift five titles, including the 2025 Copa Libertadores.
Jorginho Opens Up on Arsenal Spell
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In an interview with The Times, Jorginho said he struggled to “keep motivated” during his time at Arsenal, amid limited involvement under Arteta.
While he revealed he holds no grudge against the Spanish manager, Jorginho said he wanted to feel “important for the team” and be able to “play with joy”.
“I want to feel alive and important for the team. When a player is not on the pitch, it’s hard to keep motivated. I felt I needed to go somewhere where I was going to play with joy.”
Jorginho also commented on Arsenal’s heavily scrutinised reliance on set pieces. While he did acknowledge the importance of dead-ball situations, the former Italy international added that they can take away from the game’s flow and beauty.
“It does feel like homework, that’s the reality. But when you do your homework and then you have the test, you have a good result.
“I think people are realising now the importance of set pieces… Why is it a problem to focus and work more on it, when you get the results from that which make everybody happy?
“But the thing is, if you focus just on this, and then you forget about the football side, then of course, you’re not going to have beautiful football. So I think it’s all about balance.”
Jorginho’s Remarkable Chelsea Spell
Jorginho celebrates scoring for Chelsea.
While he was arguably past his best at Arsenal, Jorginho had the status of one of the world’s best midfielders during his time at Chelsea.
The Brazil-born ace helped the Blues to four major titles during his four-and-a-half-year stint at Stamford Bridge, including the 2020-21 Champions League.
After playing an important part in Italy’s victory at Euro 2020, Jorginho finished third in the Ballon d’Or rankings later that year, behind winner Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.
Jorginho made 213 appearances during his time at Chelsea, scoring 29 goals.
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