“Daddy” - Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale and other Arsenal stars react as Jorginho breaks silence after ‘painful’ derby error
Jorginho's teammates have offered their support to the Arsenal midfielder after his costly error in the 2-2 league draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (24 September).
Since his £12 million move from Chelsea in January, Jorgino has been used as a bit-part player by Mikel Arteta, making just 11 starts across competitions. He came on as a second-half substitute for Declan Rice against the Lilywhites with the score at 1-1.
The 31-year-old saw his team take the lead at the Emirates as Bukayo Saka scored his second goal of the game. Just a minute after the English winger's 54th-minute penalty, Jorginho was dispossessed by James Maddison in Arsenal's half.
The English playmaker then slid the ball to Son Heung-min, who netted a brace to seal the 2-2 scoreline. The draw meant Mikel Arteta's side are winless against Spurs in their last three meetings.
After the game, Jorginho took to Instagram and posted a message:
"A painful mistake today, but seeing how everyone reacted after my mistake to support and lift me up, my teammates, coaches , staff and you Arsenal fans. It gives me even more motivation to work harder and harder, because all of you deserve the best version of myself. Thank you so much for the support Arsenal family ❤️"
Saka and captain Martin Odegaard replied with the red heart emojis. As did Declan Rice, who commented:
"❤️💪🏼"
Aaron Ramsdale's comment was perhaps the pick of the lot. The former Sheffield United goalkeeper, who was benched in place of David Raya against Spurs, wrote "❤️ Papai" which translates to "Daddy" in English.
Raya wrote "Arriba papá ❤️" [up daddy] in the comments section while Oleksandr Zinchenko stated: "❤️what a player."
Arsenal star Jorginho's agent has left the door open for a move
Jorginho wasn't signed by Arsenal as a long-term solution in midfield. In fact, he has already entered the final 12 months of his contract at the Emirates, which expires in June 2024.
The Italian star's agent, Joao Santos, has been vocal about the player's future in recent years. Asked about a potential move to Juventus in the future, he told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli (h/t Football-Italia) earlier this month:
"If an Italian club need a player like Jorginho, we’d be open to discussing it. Juventus? Never say never, it’s a word that does not exist in football."
Jorginho spent the entirety of his career in his homeland until he left Napoli for Chelsea in the summer of 2018. He notably spent four and a half years with the Naples-based giants, registering six goals and 14 assists in 160 games across competitions.