Jorginho leaving Premier League for reported deal with Flamengo

Jorginho is heading south when his Arsenal contract expires this summer, set to sign a reported three-year deal with Flamengo.

Fabrizio Romano says that the deal’s been set since January, as Jorginho will return to the country of his birth. He moved to Italy at age 15.

The 33-year-old began his senior career at Hellas Verona before moving to Napoli in 2014, propelling his status into a 2018 move to Chelsea. He moved to Arsenal in 2023.

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Jorginho has 57 caps for Italy, with whom he won EURO 2020. He followed that up with a Champions League win with Chelsea in 2020-21, helping him to a third-place finish behind Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski in the 2021 Ballon d’Or vote.

Ironically, Flamengo will compete in this summer’s Club World Cup in a group with Chelsea. Also in Group D are Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis and either Club Leon or whoever replaces the Mexican side. Leon are owned by the same group as Pachuca, and FIFA doesn’t allow the same ownership to put multiple clubs in a tournament.

Flamengo has former Man City fullback Danilo and ex-Juventus star Alex Sandro on the books. Everton’s Carlos Alcaraz is on loan from Flamngo, and the club is managed by ex-Chelsea man Filipe Luis.

Jorginho remains an elite passer of the ball who reads the game very well. Watching him go against Chelsea in the Club World Cup, should the t’s be crossed and i’s dotted, would be a trip.