Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has lifted the lid on why he opted to move to Stamford Bridge instead of the Etihad, insisting Maurizio Sarri was a big factor.
The Italian star has been fantastic for the Blues at the start of the 2018-19 campaign, breaking all kinds of passing records as Sarri’s men have won five of their first seven league games.
Jorginho sealed his switch to London from Napoli for £50 million during the transfer window – as per BBC Sport – despite strong interest from Premier League champions Manchester City.
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Finally, a few months on from his high profile move, the 26-year-old has explained exactly why he chose to join Chelsea, as he told ESPN Brazil: “There are a lot of things behind a negotiation process.
“I believe Sarri’s arrival played a big part on it.
“And there’s also the greatness of Chelsea, such a big club. So these factors helped me making my mind.”
Blues supporters will be thanking their lucky stars that Jorginho snubbed City, given his superb performances over the last 8 weeks which have helped the team remain unbeaten and emerge as genuine title contenders.
The former Napoli holding-midfielder has quickly established himself as the fulcrum of Sarri’s starting XI, dictating the pace of games from his deep-lying position with his superb range of passing and brilliant reading of the game.
Pep Guardiola’s men have still managed to start strongly this term, but they do seem to be lacking a player of Jorginho’s ilk, with current first-choice holding midfielder Fernandinho approaching the latter years of his career aged 34.
Next up for Chelsea is a Europa League group stage tie against Videoton at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, before a return to Premier League action against Southampton next Sunday.
Jorginho went on to give insight into his relationship with Sarri, which aptly sums up why his decision was ultimately the correct one for his career development.
“Yes, it’s a pretty good relationship,” The Italian said. “He’s always bantering, joking with me.
“He didn’t call me, because he’s not the type to be phoning players, but of course, through agents, I knew what his wish was and what kind of work would be put in here.”