Mikel Arteta receives advice about a forgotten player at Arsenal

The Premier League has only gone through 3 rounds, and there are some names in Arsenal’s squad that have not yet been utilized by coach Mikel Arteta.

With smart moves in the transfer market, Arsenal now possess a squad with depth and are ready to compete in the long-term race with Manchester City. However, there is still one area that worries Mikel Arteta, and that is the midfield. The Spanish strategist only has five players who naturally specialize in this role: captain Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Jorginho, and the new signing Mikel Merino.

Among them, Merino suffered an injury during training and will be sidelined for about two months, while Rice is suspended in the Premier League after receiving a red card in the match against Brighton.

Clearly, with only five players for three starting positions, this is a rather thin number for Arsenal, and they need to rotate wisely throughout the long season, especially since the first game after the September FIFA Days for the North London side will be a derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Of course, Mikel Arteta still has some alternative options, such as moving forward Kai Havertz deeper into midfield or pushing Oleksandr Zinchenko, who usually plays as a left-back, into a more advanced role.

However, there is another option that the Spanish strategist should consider, which is to use the player forgotten in the first three games—Jorginho starting from the outset.

Since the start of the 2024/25 EPL, J5 has not played a single minute for the Gunners. He has mainly appeared on the bench and is rarely mentioned in Arsenal’s lineup.

However, given Arsenal’s current struggles with squad depth, this could be Jorginho’s time to shine. His experience, technique, and ability to control the game are still valuable assets for Mikel Arteta, especially with many matches ahead for the Gunners. Commenting on J5’s abilities, football expert and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has lavishly praised the Italian star. He even suggested that the former Napoli player possesses qualities that can be compared to legends like Andrea Pirlo, Paul Scholes, or Xavi.

Specifically, Gary Neville said: ‘When I see older players playing in central midfield, they are often excellent at ball control and fantastic at dictating the game.

You’ve seen players like Jorginho or Andrea Pirlo, or players like Paul Scholes or Xavi, who are exceptional with their passing and ball retention. In fact, they can dominate the game thanks to their fantastic ball control.’

Although he hasn’t had the chance to feature since the start of the season, with Arsenal’s limited personnel options, Jorginho could play the role of a ‘savior’ for Mikel Arteta as the team faces a congested fixture list after the September FIFA Days.