Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
‘He can’t do that’… Arsenal told their £110,000-a-week player is actually so bad as a substitute
David Hillier has claimed that Jorginho is not a great player to bring on as a substitute after seeing him in action against Porto last week.
The Gunners have been in scintillating form in 2024, but the one negative recently was their defeat at Porto in the Champions League. Jorginho neither started that game nor did he look at his best when he came on.
David Hillier says Jorginho is not a good substitute for Arsenal
Arsenal signed Jorginho from Chelsea last year in a deal worth just £12 million ().
The Italian has been one of the biggest bargains the Gunners have pulled off in recent years. He has been magnificent under Mikel Arteta, and he showed his class once again last weekend when Newcastle United came to the Emirates.
However, in the game before that, when Arsenal travelled to Porto in the Champions League, Jorginho was brought on as a substitute for the final 16 minutes of the game.
The 32-year-old, who is normally so good in possession, lost the ball on three occasions. It just seemed like he couldn’t adapt to the intensity.
David Hillier, who played over 125 games for Arsenal, believes Jorginho just isn’t a good substitute. He feels the Italian is better off starting games.
Speaking on the , Hillier said: “When he (Arteta) brought Jorginho on, he doesn’t play well when he comes on as a sub. He finds it hard to get into the game.
“That game was so intense. When you make changes, they can have big, big influences on the team, and I felt it did. The Porto changes didn’t, because they were still up for it, playing a safe game and trying to hit us on the break.
“But our team, we brought him on and it was almost to change the game up. He can’t do that. He gave a couple of passes away, it was a little bit jittery. From the start, he doesn’t do that, but bringing him on at the end, that maybe weakened the team a little bit.”
Jorginho can do a job as a sub
Jorginho has been absolutely brilliant for Arsenal almost every time he has played this season.
The £110,000-a-week () Italy international has come on as a substitute on more occasions than he has started this term, and very rarely has he had a bad game.
An argument can be made that the clash at Porto probably wasn’t the best game for Jorginho to come on to help them win, but the way the game was going, we felt Arsenal needed his experience in the middle of the park.
Jorginho is more than capable of having a positive impact as a substitute. We’re sure he’ll be used plenty more times in the coming months.