[Photo] First picture of Jorginho in Arsenal shirt after completing £12m move from Chelsea

A leaked photo shows Jorginho posing in his new Arsenal shirt with his agent after completing a £12m move from Chelsea.

Mikel Arteta has made no secret of his desire to strengthen his squad this month as he knows Arsenal needed more depth to help maintain their Premier League title charge.

The Spaniard has been in the market for a central midfielder and the need for midfield reinforcements was heightened following the news that Mohamed Elneny is facing an extended period on the sidelines with a knee injury.

The Gunners have been strongly linked with a move for Moises Caicedo but Brighton rejected at least two formal offers and made it clear the Ecuadorian international would not be allowed to leave this month.

Arteta was forced to look at alternative targets and Jorginho emerged as a surprise option with widespread reports on Tuesday morning claiming Arsenal were in advanced talks with Chelsea to sign the Italian.

A deal was swiftly agreed between the two clubs and Jorginho was given permission to travel to North London to undergo his medical and finalise personal terms.

Those formalities have been completed and Jorginho’s agent has now posed a photo on Instagram of the player posing in his new Arsenal kit. The photo also shows the No.20 on his joggers, suggesting he’s been given Nuno Tavares’ number.

An official announcement should be made any minute but talkSPORT says the move has been completed. Fabrizio Romano is one of several journalist claiming that Arsenal have paid £10m to Chelsea with a further £2m in potential add-ons.

The 31-year-old had entered the final six months of his contract at Stamford Bridge so Chelsea were forced to cash-in rather than lose him for nothing in the summer.

Jorginho will be an experienced addition to the Arsenal squad and he’ll provide top class competition and cover for Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka in the middle of the park.

The fact that he knows the Premier League well means Jorginho won’t need any time to settle and could even be in contention to make his debut against Everton on Saturday lunchtime.

The former Napoli star will be a short-term solution to Arsenal’s midfield issues and his arrival won’t prevent the club from pursuing their top targets such as Caicedo and Declan Rice in the summer.