Arsenal’s £12 million Jorginho Signing Brings Penalty Dilemma for Mikel Arteta with Bukayo Saka
The latest Arsenal news looks at what buying Jorginho from London rivals Chelsea at £12 million on the January transfer deadline could imply for Bukayo Saka.
Following the inclusion of Jorginho to Arsenal’s first-team roster, Mikel Arteta may have to make a huge decision.
On Tuesday evening, it was reported that a £12 million deal had been completed for the Italy international, making him the north London club’s third and final acquisition of an extremely busy January transfer window, following moves for Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior.
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Perhaps more importantly, Arsenal have brought in cover in midfield after Mohamed Elneny’s knee surgery was confirmed, since Mikel Arteta had already identified this area as a priority to improve before Tuesday night’s 11 p.m. deadline.
While Jorginho may not be the midfield target that some Arsenal fans hoped for following links to Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, he does have one trait that would make him a welcome addition at the Emirates Stadium.
The 31-year-old has established himself as one of the most dependable penalty takers in Serie A, the Premier League, and with the Italy national team.
Only seven of the 41 shots he’s taken throughout his career have been missed. The most recent was in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over West Ham United last season, and oddly, he had one saved against Arsenal in the 2020/21 season when Bernd Leno successfully judged to keep out his spot-kick.
However, he has been successful with the three penalties he has taken this season – against Manchester United, AC Milan in the Champions League, and Everton – demonstrating that his misses from 12 yards are extremely rare, and this record may give Arteta something to think about for the rest of the season.
Now, when the Gunners were granted spot-kicks against Chelsea, Manchester United, and Everton in the final eight games of last season, it was Bukayo Saka (2x) and Gabriel Martinelli who stepped up – in the absence of Alexandre Lacazette – and their success percentage was 100%.
And, based on the 3-2 win over Liverpool earlier this season, the England international appears to be Arsenal’s penalty taker, as he assumed responsibility once again despite the presence of £45 million summer signing Gabriel Jesus on the pitch.
Could Arteta be persuaded to change his mind now that Jorginho has arrived? It could be worth considering because the Italian is nearly faultless from the spot, but it should be noted that Saka has scored all three penalties in an Arsenal shirt.
