Jorginho stakes claim for new Arsenal contract after Mikel Arteta praise

After a resounding win at West Ham, it was no surprise that Mikel Arteta was happy to dish out the compliments to his Arsenal team.

There was, understandably, yet more praise for the brilliance of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, with the pair combining to devastating effect as Arsenal made it 13 goals in their last three games.

Arteta, however, also chose to single out Jorginho, hailing the midfielder’s performance as “exceptional” and “outstanding”.

Jorginho will turn 33 later this month, but on the evidence of Saturday, he is only getting better with age.

The Italian made more interceptions and tackles than any other Arsenal player against West Ham, while only Declan Rice and William Saliba completed more passes than him.

It was a classic Jorginho performance. Sat at the base of midfield, he mopped up play efficiently and brought some control to what was at times, especially in the first half, a chaotic game.

What made it all the more impressive, though, was that this was only the second time this season that Jorginho had completed 90 minutes in the Premier League.

That last time he had done that before Saturday was all the way back in the middle of September, when he captained Arsenal to a 1-0 win at rivals Tottenham.

Jorginho was impressive on that occasion as well, but he has found minutes had to come by this season. The Italian has started just six games, and two of those were in the Carabao Cup.

Not that it seems to matter, however, as whenever Jorginho is parachuted into this Arsenal team he slots in seamlessly.

Perhaps that is partly down to the wealth of experience he has or his brilliant understanding of the game. Even if Jorginho is not on the pitch his influence is clear with the way he almost coaches his team-mates when warming up.

The midfielder is not afraid to bark out orders from the touchline and Arteta is happy for him to do so, too.

“He is one of the most intelligent players I’ve coached, for sure,” Arteta said last season.

“The detail that he can go into, the understanding of what is happening live, not on the video, but what actually is happening live in the game, how he can correct it, and how he can attract the attention of his team-mates to listen to him and actually do what he’s telling them to do, it’s really impressive.”

It is knowledge like that which makes Jorginho such a useful part of this Arsenal squad and underlines why the club should look to keep him beyond when his contract expires at the end of this season.

There is plenty of competition in the squad with where Jorginho wants to play, given both Rice and Thomas Partey are options there.

But Jorginho offers something different to them in the way he manages and controls a game. The fact he is able to get up to speed so quickly, despite limited starts, makes him all the more valuable.

In truth, there is an argument that the 32-year-old has been underused this season and that could impact what happens next.

Jorginho may feel he is able to play every week for a team that can give him more opportunities and minutes.

Arsenal managed to keep hold of the Italian earlier this year, eventually tying him down to a new contract in May when he had under two months left to run on his previous deal.

Posing with Jorginho as he put pen to paper on a new contract, Arteta was gushing about the midfielder.

“Jorgi is such an important part of our team,” he said. “A role model with great leadership skills and a unique playing style ability, which makes everybody better around him on the pitch.”

All of that still stands now - and Jorginho shows no sign of slowing down.