JORGINHO has joined Arsenal on deadline day – and become only the club’s second outfield Italian signing.
Despite Italy producing several world-class stars, very few have ever played for the Gunners.
GettyJorginho has swapped 10th-place Chelsea for league leaders Arsenal[/caption]
Only one Italian has ever played outfield for the club before – and it make take even die-hard fans a few minutes to recall who.
Arturo Lupoli is the only Italian to have worn an Arsenal shirt previously outside of goalkeepers.
The striker made a handful of first-team appearances for the club in the 2005/06 season after emerging from Arsenal’s youth side.
Lupoli joined their academy in 2003 from Parma’s Under-17s and proved to be a prolific goal-scorer.
He netted 45 goals in 23 academy games and impressed coaches with his form.
While he could not replicate that level in the first-team and failed to nail down a first-team place, Lupoli did score a brace in the League Cup against Everton.
The forward would go on to have loan spells at Derby, Norwich and Sheffield United before spending most of the remainder of his career in the Italian lower leagues.
Arsenal have actually had more Italian goalkeepers than outfield players in the history of their club.
Lupoli played alongside Arsenal legend Thierry Henry during his few Arsenal appearancesNews Group Newspapers Ltd
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The likes of Vito Mannone and Emiliano Viviano have previously stood in between the sticks for the London club but were never regulars.
Jorginho will be hoping to make a bigger impact with Arsenal once his move is confirmed.
The midfielder has been at Chelsea since 2018 but is now set for a London switch after Brighton managed to cling onto Moises Caicedo.
Jorginho, 31, will now be hoping to land the Premier League trophy with table-toppers Arsenal, something which eluded him at Stamford Bridge.
But he did win the Europa League in 2019 and Champions League in 2021.