Jorginho could be on his way to a return to Serie A after his agent has suggested that it would be his ‘dream’ move to head back to Italy, as rumours hot up that the Chelsea midfielder could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.
The former Napoli man has been in the headlines of late, not only due to the rumours of his Chelsea exit, but also in light of the Azzurri’s humiliating World Cup play-off exit against North Macedonia last month, which Jorginho himself has taken on the blame.
Italy World Cup Play-off
It was a hugely disappointing March for the Champions League and Euro 2020 winner as the midfielder was left devastated after their 1-0 defeat against North Macedonia in Palermo, meaning that the European champions will not play in this years World Cup in Qatar.
It becomes the second consecutive World Cup that Italy have failed to qualify for and they will look back at a disappointing qualifying campaign where they finished runners-up to Switzerland. Jorginho missed key penalties against the Swiss in both the home and away fixtures that meant the Azzurri were held to two draws, with the most recent being a 90th minute penalty miss in Rome last November.
Jorginho soke to Rai Sport after their exit against North Macedonia and stated that, “It hurts to think about the penalty kicks I missed in the qualifiers. Not being able to help my teammates and make my country happy will haunt me forever. It is cliché to say that we have to move forward, but it is painful to lose like this.”
The deep-lying playmaker is usually clinical from the spot, scoring 17 out of 19 penalty kicks for Chelsea. His focus now returns back to Chelsea as they prepare for the crunch time of their season, particularly with their Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid coming up.
‘Dream’ Return to Serie A
Jorginho will hope that he can keep his focus on the pitch, despite the off-field rumours circling, as his agent, Joao Santos, has said that several clubs are interested in the midfielder. With Jorginho’s contract at Stamford Bridge set to expire in June 2023, Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Roma and Inter have all been linked with moves for the Regista.
The 30-year-old has been a staple in Thomas Tuchel’s side and has been vital in their recent success, helping the Blues to their Champions League win last season. His performances haven’t gone unnoticed, being selected in the 2021 Men’s FIFA FIFPRO world eleven and finishing fifth in The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2021. He was also crowned as UEFA’s Men’s Player of the Year award for the 2020/21 season.
However, due to the nature of his role, his ball-winning and ball retention skills can often go unnoticed, especially in the fickle world of football that will focus on the latest failures for the midfielder.
The sanctions currently in place at Chelsea have also caused issues, meaning that the Blues are unable to operate their business as normal in light of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Russian owner Roman Abramovich has had his assets frozen by the UK Government. With Jorginho’s contract expiring in the near future, he could be expected to leave for a return to Serie A and Juventus could be one of his strongest suitors.
? Most penalty goals this #PL season
6️⃣ – Jorginho
5️⃣ – Toney
5️⃣ – Salah
4️⃣ – Mahrez pic.twitter.com/mcDPQeFRkp— Premier League (@premierleague) March 31, 2022
How Could Jorginho Fit in at Juve?
Juventus will be keen to add quality and depth to their midfield as they look to return to the top of Italian football. The Bianconeri have underperformed of late, finishing fourth in their disappointing 2020/21 Serie A campaign and their current season also looks set for failure. Their latest hit came at the weekend when they suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Inter in the Derby d’Italia, leaving them eight points behind leaders Milan with just seven games remaining – rivals Milan, Inter and Napoli are all in stronger positions to win the Scudetto.
Despite bringing in Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach in January, they allowed fellow central midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Aaron Ramsey to depart in the winter transfer window, leaving them with Arthur, Manuel Locatelli, Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot as their only other midfield options.
Champions League and Euro 2020 winner, Jorginho, could add quality and experience to the Old Lady. The defeat against Inter on Sunday has all but ended their hopes of a Scudetto this season and the Bianconeri now turn their attention to how they can improve ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri has identified Locatelli and Zakaria as the building blocks for his midfield, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, meaning that Rabiot could be set to leave Turin. The Frenchman has been linked with a swap deal with Chelsea for Jorginho and the Italian’s agent, speaking to Calciomercato, has revealed that Juve are interested in the player, “I haven’t talked to Juve, but I know of their interest in Jorginho. We have a contract with Chelsea until 2023 and it is a particular moment for the club, where there are no negotiations, also because the market is blocked both in entry and in exit. If the situation unfolds, the priority will be to deal with the renewal. Should Chelsea fail to renew their contract, then we will listen to all the teams involved.”
Jorginho might not be going to the World cup but he has had a fantastic last 12 months & winning so many awards & trophies. Edit:-@433_cfc pic.twitter.com/dOmENBvdwj
— Frank Khalid (@FrankKhalidUK) April 4, 2022
In other news, Jorginho has also been working with Brazilian psychotherapist Rafael Barreiros, who started working with the midfielder prior to Italy’s Euro 2020 win last summer. Barreiros has also worked with MMA and UFC fighters and could play a key role in Jorginho’s mindset following the Azzurri’s World Cup play-off defeat. The midfielder has to turn his focus on Chelsea now as they look to finish the season strongly, particularly as they prepare for their Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid coming up.