Newcastle United were offered Jorginho during the January transfer window before his eventual departure on deadline day.
What’s the latest?
The Toon did not bring in any midfielders over the course of the January transfer window but it seems as if there were some options potentially on their radar.
Eddie Howe’s side were linked with the likes of Sander Berge over the final days of the window and it is believed they held an interest in Conor Gallagher.
Adding to their desire to bring in a new midfielder, Howe saw the 30-year-old, Jonjo Shelvey, leave the club for Nottingham Forest.
But speaking on the True Faith podcast, journalist Craig Hope has claimed they were offered the new Arsenal midfielder, Jorginho, by his intermediaries.
He said: “Jorginho was offered to them, again, by intermediaries. Now, there was people within the club who I think were for the Jorginho deal – they saw the sense in it.
“I don’t think Eddie was. Just didn’t think he had the legs to get around in terms of that sort of high-energy pressing style he wants from his midfielders.”
Missing out on experience?
The Italian is a player who would certainly have been able to arrive on Tyneside and provided an awful lot of experience at the highest level to Howe’s midfield.
Jorginho has racked up trophies.
However, it appears as if this is a player who Howe was not keen to bring to St. James’ Park.
Although Bruno Guimaraes has provided the Toon with more shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, the Italian has offered more tackles and passes per 90 minutes (via FBref).
So perhaps this is a player who could have come into Newcastle and provided them with another option as a holding midfielder following Shelvey’s departure.
And he is a player who has been on the end of some big praise from the likes of Jose Mourinho who had the following to say back in 2019:
“For me, Jorginho is the best midfielder in Europe. The way he controls the game, how he recycles the ball in the transitions between attack and defence. His ability on the ball when he is under pressure is amazing.”
However, he would have done so on a big weekly salary of £110k which would have seen him become one of the highest earners at the club.
And it seems as if the Italian did not exactly impress in the 31-minute appearance at Goodison Park with journalist Sean Walsh only awarding him with a 5/10 rating after the game.
Given this was a position that Newcastle were keen to strengthen last month, it does show the trust put in Howe’s judgement when there were others inside the club who would have approved the potential deal.
