Arsenal 'open talks' with veteran midfielder over new contract deal

As a reward for his fine form so far in the 2023/24 Premier League season, Arsenal are reportedly set to 'open talks' with Jorginho regarding a new contract for the 32-year-old.

This is according to a report from Football Insider, who note that Jorginho is 'keen' to extend his stay in North London. His current deal is due to expire in the summer, but it does include a clause that will allow Arsenal to extend it by an extra year.

Nevertheless, Jorginho wants to stay for longer than this. He reportedly wants a new two-year contract, which will keep him at the Emirates Stadium until the summer of 2026.

Should he sign a new deal, he won't be the first Gunners player to sign a new deal in recent months - the likes of Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Takehiro Tomiyasu have all committed their futures to Arsenal.

Should Arsenal offer Jorginho a new contract?

Since his re-introduction to the starting XI, Jorginho has been one of Arsenal's most important players. His fastidious work from the base of midfield has freed up Declan Rice to take on a more advanced role - allowing the England international to express his creative influence higher up the pitch.

Currently, the Gunners are on an eight-game winning streak in the Premier League. Jorginho has played in seven of these games, being part of the starting line-up in four of them. Moreover, in the seven games that Jorginho has featured in recently, Arsenal have conceded just four goals over their course.

While the Italian international is not a prolific goal scorer, nor is he particularly creative, his composure and crisp technique allows him to recycle possession very effectively. He allows Arsenal to keep the pressure on teams as he builds attacking moves from deep positions - something that they struggled to do with Kai Havertz in the midfield trio.