I lost joy for football — Jorginho opens up on leaving Arsenal

Former Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has admitted he left the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2025 because he had grown tired of “boring football” and wanted to rediscover joy on the pitch.

Jorginho joined Brazilian club Flamengo on a free transfer after a mutual agreement ended his Arsenal contract, signing a deal until July 2028.

In an exclusive interview with The Times, Jorginho opened up on his departure and time under Arteta.

“I want to feel alive and important for the team,” Jorginho explained.

“When a player is not on the pitch, it’s hard to keep motivated. I felt I needed to go somewhere where I was going to play with joy. I had to find a place where I could enjoy football again.”

During his two-and-a-half years at Arsenal, Jorginho made 79 appearances in all competitions, with only 27 starts.

He arrived from Chelsea in January 2023 for around £12 million and played a steady role in midfield, contributing to three successive Premier League runners-up finishes.

However, his game time subsequently diminished, leaving him on the fringes.

Jorginho also addressed Arsenal’s renowned focus on set-pieces under Arteta, a tactic that has brought consistent success but left him uninspired.

“It does feel like homework, that’s the reality. But when you do your homework, and then you have the test, you have a good result. I think people are realising now the importance of set pieces.

"Why is it a problem to focus and work more on it, when you get the results from that which make everybody happy?

"But the thing is, if you focus just on this, and then you forget about the football side, then of course, you’re not going to have beautiful football."