Arsenal may have been linked a lot lately with Napoli forward Gonzalo Higuain, but according to one of Arsenal’s coachs Neil Banfield, Higuain isn’t the only Napoli player we should be interested in.
Arsenal are currently prioritising their hunt for a striker, or at least we hope they are, but are yet to see any real luck or change in developments. Whether the Gunners have been in contact with Napoli remains unknown, although Arsenal certainly have scouts in Naples looking at some of their first team players. According to Banfield, Higuain shouldn’t be the main target from Napoli in Wenger’s eyes, with the scout instead suggesting that Jorginho is a much better player.
Banfield told Gonfialarete: ‘There is a footballer in Naples (for whom I) would sign a blank check. This football player Jorginho – the strongest midfielder that there is at this time in Serie A. Watching him play is a pleasure for the eyes, it makes me mad.’
The bad news of course is that Jorginho is another midfielder and as you know we already have plenty of those at the club. With the signing of Xhaka and promotion of Reine-Adelaide, I find it increasingly difficult to see Wenger bringing in another midfielder. However if Wenger is on the lookout, then you can be sure there is some interest from the Gunners. Back in March Jorginho’s agent spoke out about Arsenal’s interest in his client.
“Real Madrid and Arsenal know Jorginho, if they came forward with an official offer we’d talk but at the moment all I can say is that Jorginho has a five-year contract with Napoli and wants to play for them in the Champions League next year.”
At the time it seemed apparent that the Italian international wanted to stay at Napoli, but things may have changed since then and Arsenal may be able to strike up a deal. I don’t know too much on Jorginho personally, although he seems to have been quite a late bloomer to fame at 24 years old. Banfield obviously knows more about football scouting than me, but I don’t see anything to special about what Jorginho could offer to Arsenal that we don’t already have. But for a top scout at Arsenal to come out and say that ‘he’d sign a blank cheque’, seems like he is highly rated by the Gunners scouting network.
Should we expect any further developments from this story?
AH