Former Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has opened up about his decision to leave the Emirates Stadium, admitting that he was no longer enjoying his football under manager Mikel Arteta.
The Italian midfielder spent two-and-a-half seasons at Arsenal after joining from Chelsea in 2023. During his time in north London, he made 79 appearances, starting 46 matches, and helped the Gunners finish second in the Premier League in both 2024 and 2025.
Jorginho eventually left Arsenal on a free transfer at the end of the 2024/25 campaign and moved to Brazilian side Flamengo, where he has enjoyed considerable success, winning five trophies, including the 2025 Copa Libertadores.
Speaking about his Arsenal departure in an interview with The Times, the 34-year-old explained that limited playing opportunities made it difficult to remain motivated.
He insisted that he had no personal issues with Arteta but wanted to play a more important role in the team and rediscover the happiness he once had on the pitch.
Jorginho explained:
“I want to feel alive and important for the team. 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.”
The former Chelsea star also discussed Arsenal’s growing reliance on set pieces, acknowledging their importance while warning that teams must maintain a balance between dead-ball situations and attractive attacking football.
He believes that working extensively on set pieces is perfectly reasonable because it produces results, but football should not become entirely focused on them at the expense of creativity and entertainment.
Jorginho enjoyed some of the finest years of his career at Chelsea, where he spent four-and-a-half seasons and won four major trophies, including the 2020/21 Champions League.
He also played a crucial role in Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph, finishing third in the 2021 Ballon d’Or rankings behind Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.
The midfielder made 213 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 29 goals before eventually moving to Arsenal.
