Arsenal’s transfer window was a slightly topsy-turvy affair to say the least, with Mikel Arteta failing to land either Mykhailo Mudryk or Joao Felix, who both eventually joined Chelsea.

However, the Gunners did manage to secure deals for Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho; and although that trio perhaps may not have given the supporters as much excitement as the now-Blues duo, they could prove to be solid acquisitions, especially with the Spaniard keen to improve his squad depth.

Nonetheless, in light of the January transfer window, Edu Gaspar must now regret not making a more concrete effort to bring Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to the club during January, especially considering that he is a much better option than Jorginho. The 31-year-old Italian is clearly a stop-gap signing, whereas the Serbia international would have surely established himself in Arteta’s starting XI.

Arsenal were in talks with his agent regarding a potential move last month, according to Corriere dello Sport (via The Mirror), but nothing materialised, and it could prove to be a huge mistake.

Jorginho might well be a useful signing and adds much-needed cover for the midfield triumvirate of Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard.

However, in the Premier League this season, he has scored only twice, registered zero assists and created zero big chances, averaging just 0.4 key passes per match, earning a Sofascore rating of 6.92/10, and comparing his statistics to those of Milinkovic-Savic is like night and day.

The Serbian has excelled in Serie A this term, achieving a Sofacore rating of 7.31/10 and scoring four goals, registering eight assists and creating ten big chances. He has also made 1.3 key passes per match, which very much suggests that he could’ve been a much better signing than Jorginho.

Delving deeper, it isn’t only for attacking metrics that the Lazio star is performing better than the Italian this season. Milinkovic-Savic has won a higher percentage of aerial duels (61.8% to 42.9%), made more clearances (27 to seven) and committed fewer fouls across the season so far (12 to 19) in comparison to Arsenal’s recent midfield signing.

The 6 foot 3 “monster” – as so hailed by journalist Carlo Garganese – has been much more effective at both ends of the pitch this season than Jorginho, and at 27 he is still somewhere near his peak years – something which can’t be said of the 31-year-old Italian.

Lazio team-mate Ciro Immobile further lauded the Serbian midfielder, saying: “Trust me, Sergej Milinković-Savić is magic. He’s on the same level of Kevin de Bruyne.”

Considering that the Belgian came third in last years’ Ballon d’Or rankings, Edu missed a fantastic opportunity to not only bolster the Arsenal squad with a swoop for a tremendous midfielder in Milinkovic-Savic but also send a major statement of intent to their title rivals.