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Pundit lauds Jorginho after impressing vs Newcastle

By Ritayan Chatterjee on May 8, 2023

Former striker turned pundit Jermain Defoe has heaped praise on Arsenal star Jorginho after the midfielder’s impressive display in Arsenal’s emphatic 2-0 victory over Newcastle United.

This was a must-win game for the North London club in order to keep their title dreams alive. Arsenal looked shaky in the first few minutes but as the game grew old they imposed their authority and in the end, they managed to come away with all three points courtesy of a long-range strike from Martin Odegaard and Fabian Schar’s own goal on either side of half time.

Mikel Arteta’s troops displayed an excellent performance but the player who stood out the most was Jorginho. The Italian was a composed figure at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield and his passing efficiency helped the Gunners to combat Newcastle’s high press.

Speaking on BBC’S MOTD2 (via TBR), Defoe was full of praise for Jorginho and the pundit also claimed that the 31-year-old was his man of the match.

Defoe lauds Jorginho

Defoe said:

“He was fantastic today. Probably man of the match. I think that sort of performance goes under the radar a bit and people don’t really appreciate that sort of performance.

“It wasn’t just playing sideways and backwards either. It was being effective with your passes, passing with a purpose. When you look at the stats, energy levels, distance covered. I thought he was really really good and he’s a key player who’s got his chance and he’s definitely taken it.”

After failing to sign Moises Caicedo last winter, Arsenal opted to purchase Jorginho in a £12m deal to bolster their engine room. Upon joining the club, the 31-year-old found himself on the periphery over the last few months but amid Thomas Partey’s recent poor form, the Italian has been getting more regular game-time.

Having displayed his best against Chelsea last week, Jorginho carried on his excellent form in this game and enjoyed yet another promising outing this weekend. So, the Italian is now knocking on the door to become Arsenal’s first-choice defensive midfielder.

But, with Arsenal looking to sign a new deep-lying playmaker this summer, it remains to be seen what the long-term future holds for Jorginho, who signed an 18-month contract with an option to extend the deal for one more year.