“I wanted to progress in my career” – Jorginho makes honest admission about why he left Chelsea to join Arsenal

Jorginho shocked many when he parted ways with Chelsea and joined their local rivals Arsenal in a deal worth €11 million during the winter transfer window. After settling down in north London, the Italian midfielder has now opened up on why he decided to leave Stamford Bridge.

Prior to his departure, Jorginho was relegated to a bit-part role at Chelsea as he was not part of manager Graham Potter's plans. Things got even clearer when the tactician pushed for the signing of another defensive midfielder, Enzo Fernandez, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in January.

In an interview with DAZN, Jorginho admitted that the situation influenced his decision to leave for Arsenal. He said on Monday (via Metro):

"It’s one of the reasons, surely. He called me and it was all very quick, we made the deal in less than 48 hours. I had spoken to Chelsea and I knew I was no longer part of their plans. I wanted to progress in my career and the Arsenal project suits me."

"It’s a young team that plays good football and fits my characteristics. I considered every scenario and made the decision. Sometimes you must accept when you are out of a project and that things come to an end."

The midfielder featured in Arsenal's top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City on 15 February - a match they lost 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium. Despite the setback, the former Chelsea star insisted that the defeat didn't kill the confidence of Mikel Arteta's men and said:

"No, if you look at the game, it was decided in the penalty boxes. You can’t commit certain mistakes against these champions at this level. We made mistakes, and they punished us. After the game, I was confident because we played well."

"We forced Man City to play long balls and not many teams do that, so it means we did good things. We were disappointed with the result and the mistakes but we remained calm because we knew we’d made many good things. If we don’t believe in it now, then when?"

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hails Jorginho's impact in Aston Villa victory

Gunners boss - Mikel Arteta

Jorginho produced an eye-catching performance in the center of the pitch as Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 4-2 in the Premier League last weekend. Following the game, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta praised the midfielder's impact.

The tactician said in his post-match interview:

"I certainly didn't expect that from him (Jorginho). I thought he was tremendous today. We showed a lot of character and resilience. We have to take some lessons."

"In the first half, we didn't do simple things right, in the second half, we dominated. We needed a magic moment and Jorginho produced it, the boys really wanted it, after what happened a couple of days ago."