Chelsea steal a march on Jorginho with deal imminent
By James Fudge
It’s the drama that keeps on giving. Manchester City fans have been waiting for the picture of Jorginho holding aloft his sky blue strip but the wait goes on and may now look like it will never happen.
The months of flirting by his agent seems to be all for nothing. Man City Square reported in early July that a deal to the Etihad Stadium was imminent.
However it is not to be with the colour of the presentation shirt to be a darker shade of blue as Jorginho looks to complete a move to Chelsea now, after choosing them over the Premier League champions.
The player is currently in West London and looks to have agreed on a deal at Stamford Bridge after it was revealed he preferred to live and play in London.
No announcement has been made with confirmation to the media likely to be finalised over the weekend.
The Italian national will join up with his manager from the previous three seasons, Maurizio Sarri. The Italian will replace Antonio Conte, who departs with a Premier League championship and FA Cup on his CV.
The two were reported to have a good relationship in Naples and this factor may be decisive in turning Jorginho’s head in the opposite direction.
The opportunity to play more regularly and not await his chance to shine may also be pivotal in his decision. The lack of quality midfield options to partner with N’Golo Kante looks sparse, while City has a number of choices to fill the central midfield options. He will be an automatic first team choice.
Fernandinho and David Silva will remain the first choice for City but Pep Guardiola was believed to be looking to replace Jorginho with one of the ageing pairs. Fernandinho is 33 and David Silva is 31 and their legs may not be able to take them into a regular Saturday Tuesday fixture throughout the season.
Pep Guardiola will likely be downbeat following the rejection and now must look at alternatives should he want to add to his current squad.
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Riyad Mahrez has been a welcome addition and the next summer target will remain a central midfielder priority, who is able to break up play but extremely confident in going forward and defending their own goal.
Time will tell. My wasted words will count for nothing when Jorginho holds aloft his Chelsea shirt but, maybe, it will turn out for the best.