by Jorginho has backed Raheem Sterling to be fit for Arsenal ahead of Sunday’s north London derby.
Sterling joined the Gunners on transfer deadline day, joining on loan for the season from Chelsea, and could make his debut this weekend when Arsenal travel to Tottenham.
Arsenal do not have many options in midfield with Declan Rice suspended and Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino injured. Sterling could come into the team as a No.10 or out wide and Jorginho is confident the 29-year-old will not take long to adapt.
Jorginho played alongside Sterling at Chelsea, while the England international also knows Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz from playing with them for club and country.
Sterling was sacked at Stamford Bridge by new manager Enzo Maresca and had his squad number taken away. Jorginho, however, is confident he will thrive at Arsenal and can flourish under Mikel Arteta – who he worked with at Manchester City.
“You know the club – especially Mikel and Edu with what they do – you know who they bring in is perfect, so something good will definitely happen,” Jorginho said.
“Then when you see a player you know, you’ve played with and you already know his qualities, you know how he can help you. You feel like you already know how to get him the ball, so you don’t need to get to know him.
“Honestly, I’m not here to watch the news and stuff like that, because it’s crazy. It’s different now, there’s even too much information, and sometimes it’s not even true.
He will be great for us with his qualities. He has already won, it was a good signing and he can bring a lot to the team.
Jorginho talks about Raheem Sterling
“It was match day, I woke up and people [were talking]I thought to myself, “What?!”
“Then we found out he was coming and he’s going to be great for us with his qualities. He’s already won, I think it was a good signing and I think he can bring a lot to the team.”
Jorginho has impressed at Arsenal since joining from Chelsea in January 2023 and he signed a new contract in May. The Italian has become a leader in the dressing room, while he has also started working on his coaching badges.
The 32-year-old still has plenty of playing time ahead of him, but he has opened the door to coaching when he hangs up his boots.
“Because of who I am and the love I have for my friends at home, my family, since I was 18 or 19, they say to me: ‘You’re going to be a coach’,” Jorginho told the Seaman Says podcast, via Betway.
“I thought, ‘What? I have about 15 years left to play. What are you talking about?’ Then the years went by and I saw how hard a coach has to work. I thought, ‘No way. I know I want to be involved in football, of course, afterwards, but I have no hope of becoming a coach. No chance.’
“Then I got to Arsenal and they asked me if I wanted to do my badges. At first I said, ‘No, I don’t want to be a manager’. They said, ‘Are you sure? Why not do it just for the sake of it?’ The first session I fell in love with it. I thought, ‘Oh no, why did I do it? Now I’m struggling’.”
“I think I’m going to go for it. I think so. Being on the field and being with the players, it was so satisfying. “When you see things going the way you hoped, it’s so good. Being on the field and seeing the potential that’s there. It’s different.
“I think football is constantly evolving and it will always change. It will never stop. It was different when I started, it was different in the middle, and when I finish it will be different.”
