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Gabriel Martinelli's old quotes on Arsenal's new signing Jorginho have resurfaced after the midfielder's deadline day move. The former Chelsea star tried to convince the Brazilian star to switch his nationality to Italy.
Brazil-born Jorginho has played for Italy in his senior career and was impressed by Martinelli. He wanted to make the Italian side better and tried to persuade Martinelli to join them.
Speaking to Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte in 2022, Martinelli revealed that he was never approached by any official to switch his nationality. The Arsenal star never bothered to think about the chances of switching as he always dreamt of playing for Brazil.
He said:
"No-one spoke to me, only Jorginho once said to me, 'I hope to see you in March', something like that. But no-one [official] spoke to me, no. As I've said before, my dream was always to play for Brazil. I was just waiting for the opportunity to play for Brazil."
Jorginho joins Arsenal from Chelsea on deadline day
Jorginhho completed a surprise move to Arsenal on deadline day after Chelsea agreed a £12 million fee. He was in the final months of his contract and was unlikely to get a new contract at Stamford Bridge.
He has now joined Petr Cech, David Luiz and Willian to move to the Gunners from Chelsea in the last decade. On moving to the Emirates, he said:
"He was a big influence because I know that he tried a few times to get me before and it didn't happen due to other reasons, not because of my wishes. So of course, he had a big influence. I'm very excited for this new challenge, and I just can't wait to be on the pitch to be honest! Everything has happened so fast. I was a bit surprised, but I took the opportunity of this amazing challenge. It's an important shirt. It's an amazing club, a big one, and I'm really excited and happy to be here."
Joerigno has signed a 1.5 year deal at Arsenal and has an optional year added to his contract.
