Arsenal have 11 players competing at Euro 2024 this summer, although some are expected to play bigger roles than others.
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are important players for England, whilst Kai Havertz performed superbly as Germany got off to a flyer with a 5-1 victory over Scotland in the tournament opener.
Havertz has performed well in 2024 after an initially difficult start following his move from Chelsea, and his teammate Jorginho has also thrived in recent months.
Jorginho struggled for game time in the first half of the season, but made himself a key player as he brought balance to Arsenal’s midfield alongside Rice and Martin Odegaard.
The veteran has signed an extension to keep him at Arsenal for next season, with Mikel Arteta a huge fan of the 32-year-old, and Italy manager Luciano Spalletti is also set to hand him a key role for Italy at Euro 2024.
Jorginho is perfect for Luciano Spalletti’s Italy setup at Euro 2024
Speaking to Arsenal media, Italian journalist Eleonora Trotta explained why Spalletti “loves” Jorginho and considers him vital for Euro 2024.
“With Luciano Spalletti, he is now at the centre of the project as the perfect playmaker. Spalletti loves Jorginho and this now starts a new era for him,” Trotta explained.
“Spalletti loves beautiful football and Jorginho is perfect for that idea. In Italy now, we have a lot of trust in Jorginho. We know that, also thanks to Arsenal, last year Jorginho was really good. He is now the player that we know, the player that concentrates with a good technique and a good mind.”
Jorginho Arsenal resurgence was vital for his Italy hopes
At the start of the season, Jorginho was far down the midfield pecking order, and a poor mistake in a North London derby did not help him at all.
He was suffering both with the National Team and at club level, with his lack of game time meaning that he was even left out of Italy squads over the International break in September.
However, his resurgence at Arsenal has paved the way for Jorginho to return to the lineup, and Spalletti is grateful to Arteta that he has helped the midfielder thrive.
“We saw this year he improved a lot. At the end of the season, he got a new contract with Arsenal,” Trotta added.
With Jorginho attracting interest from elsewhere, Arsenal did well to tie him down for one more year, and this was the right decision for his Italy hopes.
“For a lot of Italians, it was a big thing but we know that a new contract with Arsenal was the first choice. It’s really difficult to sign him. We interviewed Jorginho’s agent and he says Arsenal is always the first choice, even if he likes Italy because he played here a lot with Hellas Verona and Napoli,” Trotta revealed.
Jorginho will be lining up alongside Inter Milan stars Nico Barella and Davide Frattesi in the Italy midfield, and he will hope for a repeat of Euro 2020, which saw his side lift the trophy and Jorginho named in the Team of the Tournament.
Arsenal players and transfer targets at Euro 2024
In this week’s episode of Cannon Fire – The Arsenal Insider Podcast, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discuss the European Championships. With 11 Arsenal players set to feature at the tournament, the pair debated which players could be fighting for their futures, and which are destined to succeed on the international stage.