Jorginho ready to join new-look Chelsea
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Napoli midfielder en-route to Stamford Bridge?
Chelsea may finally be getting their house in order after a break-through in the negotiations for former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri.
There’s been more than an air of uncertainty around Stamford Bridge for a while now but the announcement of Sarri could be a timely one.
The 59-year-old will want to bring in his own personnel though and one player who’s likely to join is Jorginho.
The Napoli man has excelled under Sarri, so the Coral News Team take a look at just how he could fit in…
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Since Chelsea lost Nemanja Matic to Manchester United in 2017, they haven’t found a natural foil to N’Golo Kante.
Danny Drinkwater and Ross Barkley have yet to impress.
Tiemoue Bakayoko may still come good but Jorginho would provide a great blend of guile and battling qualities.
He has established himself at heart of the Napoli midfield. His passing range and vision should complement Kante’s defensive work well.
Jorginho’s calmness on the ball could be the missing part of the jigsaw for Chelsea. And with Kante or Bakayoko alongside, it will give him more opportunity to probe.
Sarri-connection
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said the Jorginho deal is totally unrelated to any negotiations with Chelsea for Sarri. But’s it’s hard to look past just how good they’ve been for each other.
Jorginho arrived in January 2014 in the midst of the Rafael Benitez years. He initially struggled for minutes sitting on the bench for a Champions League-chasing club.
This all changed when Sarri was brought in for the 2015/16 season. The 26-year-old notched 35 appearances in that season.
Jorginho’s agent said he may have left the club if Benitez had stayed. The player himself said Sarri’s pressing tactics and insistence on ball-playing midfielders suited his style.
He may be joining a new league in a new country but it could just become a home from home.
Doing it the hard way
Jorginho hasn’t had it all his own way in his career.
He was getting regular game-time in Naples but was overlooked by Antonio Conte for Euro 2016 and not even considered for the World Cup qualifiers by former boss Gian Piero Ventura.
It was only after calls from the fans and media that he won his place back for the second-leg of the play-off game against Sweden.
Many say it was a case of what could have been had Jorginho been involved from the off.
The former Verona man has had set-backs and tough moments down the years. But one thing is clear, he’s always come back fighting.
Just what Chelsea need.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
