Jorginho joins Premier League leader Arsenal from Chelsea

LONDON (AP) — Italy international Jorginho joined Arsenal from Chelsea for a reported 12 million pounds ($14.75 million) on Tuesday, a deadline-day move that gives the Premier League leaders an extra option in midfield in their bid to win a first top-flight title since 2004.

Arsenal made a late move in the transfer window to strengthen its central-midfield department, with Mohamed Elneny — a backup to first-choice holding midfielder Thomas Partey — ruled out for a lengthy period Tuesday because of injury.

Jorginho, who helped Italy win the European Championship in 2021, spent 4 1/2 years at Chelsea after joining from Napoli. He was no longer a regular player at Chelsea under manager Graham Potter.

Chelsea recouped some money having spent around $225 million on new players in the January transfer window.

Arsenal leads the league by five points ahead of second-place Manchester City and has a game in hand.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports