Ex-Arsenal star lifts lid on 'joyless' life playing under Mikel Arteta amid title race prediction

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Evening Standard

·16 aprile 2026

Ex-Arsenal star lifts lid on 'joyless' life playing under Mikel Arteta amid title race prediction

Jorginho Frello did not relish his two seasons on the fringes of the Gunners’ squad

Ex-Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has revealed he left the club because he felt unable to ‘play with joy’ under Mikel Arteta.

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The Brazil-born regista, who represented the Italian national team, moved across London from Chelsea to Arsenal in 2023, before returning to his home country to join Flamengo two years later.

He made 79 appearances for the Gunners, only 27 of which were starts, and has now revealed he struggled to enjoy life on the fringes of Arteta’s side.

“I want to feel alive and important for the team,” he said in an interview with The Times. “When a player is not on the pitch, it’s hard to keep motivated. I felt I needed to go somewhere where I was going to play with joy.”

He admitted that he holds no grudge against Arteta, but echoed the criticisms of Arsenal’s over-reliance on set-pieces.

The Gunners’ effective corners have decided many a match in this title race, but Jorginho likened the reliance on dead-ball situations to homework.

Jorginho Frello made 79 appearances during his Arsenal career

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He acknowledged the importance of set-pieces, but added that they detract from the game’s beauty.

Jorginho continued: “It does feel like homework, that’s the reality. But when you do your homework and then you have the test, you have a good result.

“I think people are realising now the importance of set pieces… Why is it a problem to focus and work more on it, when you get the results from that which make everybody happy?

“But the thing is, if you focus just on this, and then you forget about the football side, then of course, you’re not going to have beautiful football. So I think it’s all about balance.

“Maybe, because when you focus so much on results, and you hyper-focus on one thing, which is set pieces now, then maybe the other part, the football, is a bit forgotten, let’s say. But football is always in evolution.”

Pressed as to whether he thought Arsenal could get a first Premier League title since 2004 over the line this season, he added: “I hope they forget about the last few years, because if they think about it, then they could put pressure on themselves. I think they just should realise how strong they are and what a strong position they are in.”