Chelsea have finally confirmed that Jorginho has reunited with Maurizio Sarri at the club, rejecting advances from Manchester City.
Chelsea have announced the capture of Jorginho from Napoli for an undisclosed fee. The Brazil-born Italian playmaker was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League. But, Manchester City was his likeliest destination until Chelsea swooped in to hijack the Citizens’ pursuit of the midfielder.
Jorginho is a player that has been headlining transfer stories for a considerable time. The playmaker has established himself as one of the best in his position during his four-and-a-half years at Napoli and rightfully grabbed the attention of the top brass of the Premier League.
Jorginho (3197) played more passes than any other player in Europe’s top 5 Leagues last season.
He completed 2860 of those passes, an 89.5% success rate. ? pic.twitter.com/kqfsfBaqcb
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) July 14, 2018
Pep Guardiola has been an admirer of Jorginho for a season or more, according to reports. The Manchester City boss is looking to phase David Silva out of the starting eleven slowly, with age starting to catch up to the Spanish wizard.
Manchester City were always thought to be favourites for Jorginho. Manchester United gave some competition before ending interest in the Italian, thanks to their ability to capture Fred, a player Manchester City was also vying for before ceding interest in the Brazilian.
A deal seemed to be in place for Jorginho. But, it seems Maurizio Sarri has been able to persuade Jorginho to choose Chelsea over Manchester City, something that has reportedly infuriated the Citizens. The Manchester-based club are fuming over Napoli’s decision, which they feel is pushing the player to Chelsea.
Jorginho joins Chelsea on a five-year deal and will be donning the number 5 jersey. The player looked pleased at being unveiled while posing alongside Maurizio Sarri and had only positive words on completing his move to the Premier League giants.
Jorginho is a Blue! ?#WelcomeJorginho pic.twitter.com/Uwh5h3gecx
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 14, 2018
“I am absolutely ecstatic to be here at Chelsea. It is not easy to become part of such a big team so I am very, very happy. I am excited to play in such an intense league, for a team that gives everything to play and win.”
The move does raise some obvious questions. Chelsea do not have Champions League football to offer either, something both Napoli and Manchester City are privy to for the upcoming season. The fee is reported to be around £50 million, which is what Napoli had asked for the player from City.
There were reports that Jorginho preferred Chelsea over his desire to live in London rather than Manchester. We have seen how such moves fare, with Lucas Moura rejecting Manchester United for PSG due to his love and preference to live in Paris. We all know how that has worked out thus far for the Brazilian.
Chelsea fans would be hoping Jorginho does not suffer the same fate. The playmaker was a crucial cog in elevating the Sarri-ball system into what it is now. It will be interesting to see if he can have the same effect under the same manager at a different environment and a different country.
