Barcelona submit transfer enquiry for Arsenal midfielder who ‘surprised’ Declan Rice

Arsenal midfielder Jorginho is reportedly the subject of transfer interest from La Liga champions Barcelona, according to a recent report from ESPN. The Catalonian giants are hunting for a new defensive midfielder, following the exits of Franck Kessie and club legend Sergio Busquets in the summer transfer window.

This development broke after Declan Rice gave a glowing review of the former Chelsea man in an interview, speaking on how he ‘surprised’ him during Arsenal training. It seems that Rice has all the respect in the world for his Gunners compatriot - but if Barcelona are serious in their pursuit, they may not be teammates for much longer.

What did Declan Rice say about Jorginho?

Speaking to Channel 4 on Jorginho, Rice said [via YouTube]: “The one who surprised me so much, not surprised because I knew he was such a good player anyway. Playing with him every day in training and seeing how he is because he’s not the biggest is Jorginho.

“His brain, the way it works as a holding midfielder, I’ve just been trying to pick up little things off of him. He’s always in position, he always knows when to pass, always creates time for himself, he’s an outstanding trainer.”

Can Arsenal afford to lose Jorginho?

Arsenal currently have three defensive midfielders in their ranks - Jorginho, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey. Of the three, Jorginho is the least important of them - while he is arguably a more capable holding player than Partey at this stage in their respective careers, Partey is able to play in more than just a single position.

The Italian metronome has played 254 minutes in all competitions for Arsenal so far this season. Meanwhile, Partey has played 341 minutes, while Rice has 909 under his belt [via FBref].

It seems that, now aged 31, that Jorginho is little more than a rotation option in Mikel Arteta’s squad. He has the same number of starts for Arsenal as Jurrien Timber in the current campaign - and Timber has been sidelined for most of the season with an injury.