"Gives us that something else" – Ian Wright admits he feels more 'comfortable' when £12 million Arsenal star is named in playing XI

Arsenal great Ian Wright has lavished praise on Jorginho after the Italian midfielder helped his team beat Newcastle United 4-1 in their Premier League home clash on Saturday (February 24).

Earlier this weekend, Jorginho started his sixth Premier League match in a number six role in the Gunners' 4-3-3 setup. The 32-year-old completed a match-high 92 of 103 passes, and won one of one tackle and four of seven duels before being taken off in the 89th minute.

Speaking recently on the Wrighty's House podcast, Wright claimed that Jorginho is a valuable presence in the Emirates Stadium side's midfield. He said (h/t The Boot Room):

"Jorginho for me, I don't know if it's because he's like a metronome, it makes us feel like when we start to go into that area where we need to start getting through them, him being there makes me feel better than it just being Declan [Rice] and Kai [Havertz] and Martin [Odegaard]. Him being there for some reason gives us that something else which makes me feel more comfortable."

Jorginho, who left Chelsea to join the Gunners for £12 million in January 2023, has started 12 of his 25 matches across competitions this season. He has scored once and laid out as many assist for Arsenal so far.

Rio Ferdinand lauds Arsenal for recent win, opines on their Premier League title hopes

Earlier last Wednesday (February 21), Arsenal crashed to a dispiriting 1-0 defeat at Porto in their UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg clash. They failed to record a single shot on target as Porto's Galeno scored the winner from outside of the box in the injury time.

After the Gunners' recent 4-1 win over Newcastle United, Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand lauded the team's mentality to bounce back from a loss. He said (h/t TEAMtalk):

"It was a really impressive performance, especially after going away in Europe and not getting the result you want. They got beat last minute, that can dampen any team's spirits, but their intensity, their intent from the first whistle was there for all to see."

Opining on how Arsenal can push for the league title, Ferdinand added:

"The response to the midweek result was huge. It was imperative they got back to winning ways but the style with which they did that today was hugely impressive. It shows a character, it shows the personality, shows the belief, but it shows actually, these guys, they're sniffing something, there's a league title to be won here."

Arsenal, who will visit Sheffield United on March 4, are third in the Premier League table with 58 points from 26 outings. On the other hand, Liverpool are atop with 60 points while defending champions Manchester City are on 59 points from the same number of matches.